


A Bunny Tale Part 2

by HPFandom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Explicit Language, First Time, Gen, Humor, M/M, Out of Character, Parody, Romance, Sexual Content, Slash sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-03-30
Updated: 2009-04-11
Packaged: 2018-10-01 12:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10190021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HPFandom_archivist/pseuds/HPFandom_archivist
Summary: The second part of 'A Bunny Tale'.  Harry adjusts to Hogwarts; Severus adjusts to Harry.





	1. Chapter 1: Broom Ride

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).

_This is the Second Part of_ A Bunny Tale _which was written as an Easter Special for a friend last year. It was meant to be a short, fluffy thing but it has evolved into something more. You can find the first part under my stories written here._

_I had a lot of wonderful, amazing help with this including: whitestar_alpha, kai, yivel, Georgia and tons of other people who made it what it is._

Broom Ride

 

When Severus had purchased Harry, an anthropologas, he did not do so with the expectation of keeping his new pet. Anthropologos were said to be good for one thing and one thing only: sex. The idea of taking one to Hogwarts and teaching him how to brew was downright laughable, but while Harry wasn’t the most intelligent assistant Severus could have had, he made up for his lack of knowledge with dedication and determination. His work enabled Severus to devote more time to invention and brewing for profit. However, due to his inability to use magic, even if Harry worked for Severus full time, it would take many years before he earned back his cost. Severus tried not to think about that when new magazines full of glossy ads for ingredients arrived or when his colleagues posted him letters boasting about their new acquisitions. It wasn't too difficult, as Harry had become quite adept at distracting Severus. Only two weeks into the school year and Severus had become used to living with Harry. 

That Friday began in the typical way. He woke with his dick in Harry's mouth, fucked Harry, ate breakfast, lectured the first years, who managed to not blow up any potions, had lunch in the Great Hall, fucked Harry, and instructed the fifth years, who managed to make a mess of everything. He was setting things in order when someone knocked on his door timidly.

"Come in," Severus ordered.

"Uh, sir?" Sean Self, a timid, ginger first year poked in his head. "Professor Dumbledore sent me to tell you that Mr. Malfoy is here to visit you. He sent him to your rooms."

"To my rooms?" Severus double-checked that crushed Veronda Root had absolutely no use. It was just as he feared. While mangled Veronda could be used- To his rooms? Where Harry was waiting for him to return? He slammed down the book and strode to the doorway, scaring Sean who darted off as if Severus had suddenly turned into a basilisk. What was that daft Dumbledore thinking? Ever since Lucius and he had attended Hogwarts together, Lucius had had the annoying habit of borrowing Severus's things and ruining them. He had always replaced the item afterwards - sometimes even buying the newest model as replacement - but Severus didn't want Lucius touching Harry, at all. And Harry, Harry was far too trusting and eager to please. Severus now reconsidered punishing Harry for punching Draco. He should have ordered Harry to punch anyone who tried to touch him, no matter what their station. Thoughts swirled through his head of what might be happening down in his rooms, and his swift walk turned into an undignified mad dash as he raced towards his door. He knocked over two Slytherin girls in his path, hoping he was travelling too quickly for them to see that the giant black cloud that had just bowled them over had been their stiff Potions Professor and Head of House.

When he reached his door, he smoothed down his robes and his hair and marched in, as though he had come from a leisurely walk.

Lucius rested on the sofa, his back to Severus, but he rose when Severus stepped in, turning to greet his old friend with a half smile. "Severus, how have you been?" 

"Very well, Lucius." He nodded to his friend as he crossed the room towards the sofa. To his relief, he saw no sign of Harry. "Where is that coney? He should have served you tea."

"Oh, he did," Lucius answered, glancing down at something beside him that was currently hidden by the sofa. Harry popped up, his bunny ears sticking straight up.

"I served tea, Professor!" Harry said, flashing a bright smile at Severus. 

"What are you doing down there?" asked Severus, narrowing his eyes. Harry shouldn't be on his knees around anyone other than him.

"The sugar bowl fell off the table, and I was picking up the cubes," said Harry. "One went under the table." He dropped the cube into the bowl, leapt to his feet, and bounded across the room towards Severus. Half-way there, he lurched to a stop as if he had run into an invisible wall. He glanced back at Lucius and then stood in the middle of the room with a confused look on his face as his eyes darted between Lucius and Severus. Normally, when Severus entered his rooms, Harry liked to throw himself on the Professor, smothering him in hugs and kisses as if they hadn't seen each other for a few weeks rather than a few hours. With company, he remained aloof, but Lucius knew that Harry was Severus's pet coney rather than his nephew and Squib assistant, and Harry was well aware of that fact.

Severus solved Harry's dilemma by motioning for Lucius to retake his seat as he swept into his favourite chair and nodded for Harry to approach him. "What brings you to Hogwarts, Lucius?" Severus asked, as he pulled Harry into his lap and discreetly checked to make sure Harry's clothing hadn't been tampered with. Severus knew Lucius too well to assume that the sugar bowl had fallen by accident, but it appeared that had been the extent of his ill behaviour before Severus arrived.

"My son's first Quidditch game is this evening," Lucius said as he picked up his cup and leaned back against the sofa.

Harry wiggled off Severus's lap and prepared another cup of tea. 

Severus's eyes roamed over Lucius's forest green robes. "That explains the green." 

"Come now, Severus, where's your spirit? My son's been training for quite some time, and this will be the year that we finally take that cup back from Gryffindor." Lucius's eyes shifted to Harry's bum. "Would you freshen my cup?"

"Yes, sir." Harry left Severus to pour tea into Lucius's mug. When he turned away, Lucius leaned forward.

"You have something caught in your fur," he announced, "let me get it for you."

As Harry faced Severus, he couldn't tell exactly what Lucius was doing, but when his arm stroked up, pink shot across Harry's cheeks. Clutching the teapot to his chest, Harry scurried back to the table to finish fixing Severus's cup. Severus pretended not to notice, knowing Lucius would deny groping Harry's tail. When Harry handed Severus his cup - perfect, no doubt - he waved his hand to dismiss Harry, wanting the coney out of the room. Harry's ears drooped slightly, but he departed, taking a backward glance at Severus before he disappeared into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Severus had hoped that Harry would return to his own rooms, but just wanted the coney out of Lucius's vision and reach.

"A Slytherin victory is well needed," said Severus, determined to steer the conversation away from where Lucius clearly wanted it to go. "How long has it been? Six... seven years?"

"Seven years," agreed Lucius. "But now the dry spell is over. Speaking of which, I saw you kept the coney. You can't convince me you still haven't touched him."

Severus shook his head at Lucius's blunt shift in topic. "He threw himself at me. He seemed to think his desire an infliction of which only I could cure him."

Lucius chuckled. "You waited until he could not contain himself? That's quite clever. If you should ever become bored of him, let me know."

"I will," agreed Severus, although he doubted he would ever be bored of Harry. In order to change the topic of the conversation, he asked, "Did the Board approve your proposal?"

"They did, and I informed them about your coney."

"You did _what_?" Severus nearly dropped his cup.

"It had to be done, otherwise it could have been used against you. You have nothing to worry about; they've all agreed to secrecy."

Severus could feel his eyebrows arching up his forehead. "They don't mind that I own Harry?"

"Why would they? He's a coney." Lucius waved his hand dismissively. "No, they were concerned that he would harass the students. Of course they expect you to be discrete, but I know that won't be a problem."

Severus frowned in confusion. "They thought that Harry would harass the students?"

"Coneys are known for their appetites."

"You said they are loyal to their masters."

"They are, in front of them." Lucius sipped his tea. "While they won't sexually stray without their master's permission, in private they usually make it quite clear that they wish to. Your Harry is different, however. He's always been polite but reserved, even during the times you weren't accompanying him. I wouldn't have thought coneys could blush; normally they can make a sailor turn pink with how openly graphic their talk can be."

" _Times_?" Severus asked, images of Lucius alone with Harry crowding his mind, distracting him. "I wasn't aware you had encountered him in my absense on multiple occasions."

Lucius's wide smile increased. "You are not normally this transparent, Severus. It's refreshing." He placed his cup and saucer on the table. "I ran across Harry this morning when I arrived at Hogwarts. He's quite the little liar; he almost had me convinced that he was not the coney I had encountered earlier, but a human boy. Well trained, but I knew you'd never let him go. Not with a tail like that."

"Lucius-" warned Severus but Lucius waved his hand. 

"Enough of the coney, tell me about your new potions project."

Relieved, Severus accepted the change of subject.

After Lucius had left, Severus lifted his wand and flicked open the bedroom door.

Harry rushed across the room with a wide smile. 

"What's Quidditch?" he asked as he jumped onto Severus's lap and straddled his legs.

Severus narrowed his eyes. "It is rude to listen to a private conversation." 

"I have big ears!" protested Harry, pointing to his ears, which were completely vertical. 

Unable to restrain himself anymore, Severus leaned forward and tasted Harry's lower lip. Harry melted against him, his hands running eagerly down Severus's chest towards his groin. Severus caught them before they reached his trousers. 

"Quidditch is a wizard sport. Dress for the outdoors and bring me my cloak with the green trim."

Harry's eyes flashed in disappointment, but he slid off Severus's lap and hurried away to follow Severus's orders. When he returned, his robe falling off his shoulders as he held out Severus's cloak, Severus took the cloak and placed a pair of wizard binoculars in Harry's hands. 

"These will help you view the game," he said before showing Harry how to use them. 

After having transfigured Harry's ears and tail, Severus led him out to the pitch. "You will watch with the students while I sit with the faculty."

"You don't play?" asked Harry as he hurried to keep up with Severus's long strides.

Severus chuckled. "Of course not. Students from each house play in teams against each other. Today, Slytherin and Ravenclaw will be competing. Watch the game and if you have any questions, I will answer them afterwards."

Once they reached the field, Harry veered off towards the students. Severus joined Lucius in the box. He tried to concentrate on the game but his eyes drifted around the field for Harry. He finally found him, wedged between two pretty Slytherin girls. Caitlin Latimer, the large-busted girl on Harry's right, talked to Harry throughout the game, pointing out players and objects on the field. When they hugged each other tightly in excitement after Draco had caught the Snitch, Severus decided he had been remiss in hexing only the male student population. 

Lucius and Severus celebrated the victory with several glasses of scotch. 

After three glasses, Lucius leaned forward and said in a low voice, "My son wants a coney. I've been thinking about buying him one for his birthday. Narcissa can't demand I get rid of it if Draco owns it."

"Lucius." Severus clamped his hand on his friend's shoulder. "You married a Slytherin woman. If you wanted to get away with that, you should have married a Gryffindor."

A look of horror crossed Lucius's face. "A Gryffindor..." He sat back in his chair and swirled the ice in his glass as he thought. After a short pause, he announced with a grin, "I bet they'd be adventurous in bed."

"Quite adventurous, I'm sure." Severus sent the bottle of scotch back to the liquor cabinet. If Lucius was debating the merits of shagging Gryffindors, he had to be drunk.

Lucius's shrewd eyes fixed on Severus. "You can buy a coney and give it to Draco." 

Severus swirled the scotch in his glass and took a sip before replying. "Remember, you have a Slytherin wife. If she won't suspect it right away, she'll figure it out once you pay me back." He finished off his drink and set the glass aside. "Besides, while you and the others on the Board might not object to me owning a coney, I don't imagine they would take kindly to me purchasing coneys for my students."

"Not unless you bought one for each person on the Board," agreed Lucius. "Where is your coney, anyway?" He glanced around the room as if Harry would pop out any moment.

"I ordered him to behave as if he were human. If I let him, he'd never leave my side."

"You say that as if it were a bad thing," Lucius remarked, with a raised eyebrow.

"There is such a thing as too much sex," said Severus, knowing the liquor was loosening his tongue, but too inebriated to care about the consequences. "If I gave in every time Harry approached me, I'd never accomplish anything. I swear he would fellate me whilst I lectured if I allowed him to do so."

Lucius narrowed his eyes. "That is far too cruel, Severus. You are waving water before a man dying of thirst. Perhaps if I bought Narcissa her own coney first, for her birthday... or perhaps Mother's Day-"

"Mother's Day?"

"Yes, a gift from Draco-"

Severus stood up and plucked the tumbler off the table. "Enough, Lucius. Go home to your wife before you devise more inane plans that will land the both of us in trouble."

Lucius chuckled and stood. "Goodnight." At the door, he paused and asked, "Is it true they are insatiable?"

Severus smiled. "Goodnight, Lucius."   
"Goodnight." Lucius disappeared out the door. 

Harry returned shortly after Lucius had left. He smelled strongly of butterbeer and wore a flashing green button that said, 'Slytherin Pride.' 

Later, as he rode Severus, Harry said, "I want to ride a broom. Will you take me on a broom ride?"

"A broom ride?" Severus asked, barely able to think as he watched Harry's well-toned body rise and fall, his reddened erection waving in the air as he fucked himself. 

"I want to fly." Harry paused and leaned forward to capture Severus's mouth in a kiss. He broke the kiss and whispered, "Will you take me?"

"Yes, yes, I'll take you." Severus grabbed Harry's thighs and pistoned his hips hard. Harry's head snapped back, a low moan ripped from his throat. He thrust back eagerly, his fat cock thickening and his body clutching Severus's tightly as he neared orgasm. 

Severus pulled Harry down toward him, wrapped his arms around his trim torso and rolled them both over. Letting out a gasp of surprise, Harry wrapped his limbs around Severus and whispered, "harder."

Severus obeyed, pounded into him, fucking him as hard as he could. Harry's nails dug into his back, tighter and tighter until he came with a loud cry, his eyes squeezed tightly shut and the shaking of his body driving Severus over the edge as well.

He kissed Harry's soft lips as he came. When he finished, he rolled off Harry and stared up at the ceiling of his den. "Next time, we wait until we reach the bedroom."

"Why wait, when you can do this?" asked Harry as he stroked a hand across the carpet, which had been transfigured into soft bedding. "If I had magic, I'd turn everything into a bed!"

Severus smiled at him. "There are more important things than sex." 

Harry cocked an eyebrow in disbelief. He flipped over and straddled Severus's knees. Bending down so that his head rested just above Severus's groin, he asked, "Would you rather spend all day brewing or doing this?" He dipped down and flickered his tongue over the softening glans. 

Severus reached down and pulled Harry up for a deep kiss. After he pulled away he said, "Right now, I'd rather sleep. To bed, incubus." 

~

The next evening, after Severus had checked twice to make sure that all students were in their dorms, he took Harry out to the Quidditch pitch and set up wards to ensure they couldn’t be intruded upon or spotted. He put Harry in front of him on the broom and gripped the handle with both hands, enclosing Harry in a protective embrace.

"Hold on as tight as you can. If you fall off, you'll die." He felt confident enough on a broom to not believe his dire proclamation, but based upon how clumsy Harry could be, he didn't want to take any chances. 

Harry wrapped his arms around Severus's, clutching the robes in his white fists. "I won't let go."

After casting a sticking charm to attach Harry to the broom, Severus lifted off the ground.

"Oh!" Harry's fingers tightened on Severus's arms.

"Scared?" 

"No! Go higher!"

Severus took off like a canon, flying straight at one of the hoops. Harry laughed in delight as they barreled through a goal, nearly clipping the hoop. Severus raced around the pitch, trying to scare Harry, but the more dangerous the stunts were, the more the coney laughed and cheered. Realising that the only way he would be able to startle Harry would be to do stunts even he was nervous to attempt, he slowed to a near stop. Casting a warming spell to keep away the cold, Severus flew up until the air thinned out. Perching in the wide arc of heaven, he turned in a slow circle. The stars shimmered around them while lights glittered like fairy lights on a Christmas tree on the ground far below.

Harry gave a low gasp of wonder. For a moment, he sat still on the broom, hardly breathing while his head turned and his wide, bright eyes drank in the sight of the twinkling constellations; the patchwork quilt of landscapes and buildings transected by roads and carriage paths; and the kaleidoscope of colourful dancing lights from the underwater cities of the merpeople.

"What is that?" Harry shot out a hand towards the lake, moving so far that Severus wondered if his sticking charm had failed. Tightening his grip on the broom and Harry, he answered, "Those lights are from the merpeople's cities."

"There are mermaids in the lake?" Harry leaned forward as if he could stick his head underwater if he stretched his neck out far enough. 

Severus pulled him back to safety."Yes."

Harry turned to look up at Severus with a brilliant smile. "I want to hear them sing. I've heard they have beautiful voices."

Severus tsked. "It's only beautiful if you listen to it underwater. Otherwise, the sound is quite discordant."

Never one to sit still for long, Harry twisted back around on the broom, pushing the limits of the sticking spell as he bent over the other side to peer down at Hogwarts. "Look at how tiny Hogwarts is!"

Each wiggle of Harry sent little shivers down Severus's spine. He clutched the coney tightly to him and said, "Hold still, you might fall off."

Harry pressed back against Severus's torso, his smaller body fitting snugly against the Potions Master's larger one. He tilted his head back and gazed up at Severus with a wide smile. "You'll catch me."

"Maybe," said Severus in a low voice. "But maybe not." He spun them both upside down, delighting in Harry's gasp of surprise as he zoomed towards the ground in spirals, slowing down only at the last second for a soft landing. When they reached the field, Severus removed the sticking charm and dismounted the broom. Harry jumped off and threw his arms around Severus, giving him a long, eager kiss as his hands shot towards Severus's groin. Severus caught the hands and pulled away. "Never outside of my rooms."

Harry frowned but gave up his attack. "Let's do that every night."

"It's far too risky." Snape shook his head. When Harry's face fell, he added, "But we will do it again."

Harry grinned. "Let's go back to your rooms so we can have sex."

They didn't make it back to Severus's rooms. When they passed by the entrance to the Room of Requirement, Harry pulled Severus inside. In the centre of the Room, which was littered with enough bottles and jars to last them both a lifetime, squatted a huge four-poster bed swathed in crimson sheets. Releasing Severus's hand, Harry dashed towards the bed. He didn't bother to look where he stepped as he ran and smacked his foot against a thick jar, tripping him into one of the bed posts. He bounced off the post, falling backwards onto the floor where he lay, his arms out, staring up at the ceiling. 

Severus cleared the floor of lube as he strode over to Harry. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah...." Harry sat up and rubbed at the spot where his forehead had collided with the post. He glanced around. "All the lube is gone! What will we do?"

"I know of a mutual way in which we can satisfy each other." Severus stretched out a hand to Harry. 

Harry accepted it with a smile, letting Severus pull him to his feet and lead him to the bed.

Normally Harry gave amazing head, but Severus soon discovered how quickly the coney became distracted with a mouth around his dick. After he had sucked and licked three orgasms out of Harry, he relaxed back against the bed and let Harry work his aching need to completion. 

When they returned to Severus's quarters, Severus examined Harry's forehead in the bathroom. Other than a bruise about half the size of Harry's palm, the coney seemed fine. Based on how clumsy Harry could be, Severus had already gathered several healing potions and stored them in the bathroom cabinet. He couldn't have Harry visit Poppy, not while they were keeping his true nature a secret. Of the Hogwarts staff, Severus trusted Poppy the most after the Headmaster, but the Board had asked for discretion and the fewer people who knew, the better. 

Summoning several potions, Severus laid them out on the counter in front of Harry. "This one," he said, lifting the large red bottle, "is a salve which will heal any minor injury." 

He twisted open the jar and smeared some of the salve over the bruise with large strokes. "This," he picked up the small purple one, "eases pain. Take only a drop at a time and wait five minutes for it to work." 

Harry stuck out his tongue and Severus administered the potion. "If your pain does not ease after five minutes, take another drop." 

Closing the bottle and placing it down on the counter, he selected the last bottle. "This works on internal injuries. Since you struck your head, it would be best to take a sip of it in order to prevent brain damage." Severus measured out a small amount in the lid and gave it to Harry who swallowed it easily. "I have many of these and they are easy to make. I will leave them here for you to take should you injure yourself while I am in class. Of course, if the injury is severe or the pain sharp, you should fetch me immediately."

Harry nodded. "Yes, Professor." He closed the potions and placed them neatly in the drawer Severus had cleared for him to use. He turned back to Severus with a grin. "Now we have lube!"

Severus shook his head. Three orgasms and Harry still wanted more? Lucius had no idea what he was in for if he bought a coney. "Now we are going to bed. I must teach class in the morning." He turned and left the room to change into his nightclothes. Harry took his time preparing for bed and snuggled under the covers just as Severus started to fall asleep.

"Thank you for the broom ride, Professor," he whispered as he draped himself across Severus's chest. "If I was a wizard, I'd fly everyday."

Yawning, Severus stroked one of Harry's ears. "It's a good thing you aren't. I shudder at the thought of you playing Quidditch. At least being clumsy on the ground won't result in a free fall." He dropped his hand to Harry's back and drifted off to sleep. 

Harry lay with his head on Severus's chest and did not fall asleep for a very long time.

 

[I have a lot of fun writing this fic and I was happy to get this second part ready for you. Please review, as always!]


	2. Chapter 2: The Wolf and the Rabbit

  
Author's notes: Harry adjusts to Hogwarts; Severus adjusts to Harry.  


* * *

[ _Thanks for your comments and encouragements. Here's the next chapter_ ]

The Wolf and the Rabbit

When Severus gave Harry the role of assistant, he did so only to have an excuse to keep the coney at Hogwarts. However, after almost a month of living at the school, Harry proved to be surprisingly capable for a non-magical assistant. In addition to cleaning, restocking, and preparing ingredients, he also set up worktables and bottled harmless potions. Of course he had his faults, one of which was adding the ingredients haphazardly unless Severus coached him, but it was better than could be expected.

Harry liked to keep busy and when he finished his chores and had free time, he ran errands for the other staff members. His favourites were Hagrid and Remus Lupin, the Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. Severus had tried to warn Harry away from Lupin by revealing Lupin's secret, but the fact that the tired, shabby professor was a werewolf seemed only to heighten Harry's interest. 

One afternoon, as he was scrubbing cauldrons, Harry announced, "Professor Lupin hasn't tried to eat me." He sounded disappointed.

Severus harrumphed and adjusted the flame under the cauldron in which he was brewing an acne remover. Some third year had discovered a spell to create the blemishes and half of the school now sported spots. "If you continue to pester him, he might do so in order to have peace."

"He said he likes it when I talk to him."

Severus paused to glance at Harry who was focused on his work. Could the werewolf smell Harry's true species? He hadn't thought to consider that Lupin might be interested in his coney. "Did he?" Severus asked with a fake detached air.

"Yeah," answered Harry. He picked up the finished cauldron and placed it on the shelf by the others. "He told me a secret."

Severus's eyes narrowed. "And what was that?"

"He said that he's going to get married to a wizard, not a witch. Did you know that? That wizards can marry wizards?"

Severus added a pinch of Pilosebacus Leaf. He was not surprised about Lupin, he had always suspected the werewolf to be queer. "Yes, everyone knows that." 

Finished with his cleaning, Harry walked over to observe Severus brewing. "Would you marry a wizard?"

"No." He didn't think much of the institution of marriage in the first place. The only point he saw to it was to establish paternity and inheritance for children. "Bring me a tray of flasks."

"A witch?" persisted Harry. He carried over the tray and set it on the table before Severus.

"Yes, if I would ever marry," Severus absently answered as he filled the flasks. 

"Why aren't you married?"

"If you want to talk, go bother someone else. I need to concentrate." Turning away from Harry, Severus examined the status of the Pepper-Up Potion.

Harry remained silent throughout the rest of the brewing session. 

Lupin arrived near the end to pick up his Wolfsbane. He smiled at Harry when he walked in. "Hullo, Harry."

Harry smiled back. "Hullo, Professor."

Snape glared at the werewolf. Why had Lupin been telling Harry about his sexual preferences anyway? "You're on time, the Wolfsbane is ready." 

"Thank you, Severus. Aurora has agreed to cover my classes this time. If this new brew of yours remains effective, I expect to be back teaching class in a few days. Have you submitted it to the Potions Board for review?" 

"Not yet, I'm still experimenting." Severus crossed to the bubbling cauldron of Wolfsbane and ladled a generous amount into a goblet. Maybe he would pretend to devise a new concoction for dealing with Lupin's problem and instead create one that would slowly kill the werewolf. 

With a smile on his face, Lupin accepted the goblet once it was full. He turned to Harry and said, "Harry, would you mind stepping out for a bit?"

"No, sir." Harry shot a curious glance at Severus as he walked to the door. Severus had no doubt he was wishing for his bunny ears so that he could press his head against the door and listen to their conversation.

Once Harry had left the room, Lupin took a sip from the goblet and said, "I've learned the truth about Harry."

"Oh?" asked Severus, feigning nonchalance as he bottled the remains of the Wolfsbane. He doubted Lupin knew as much as he thought he did and he wouldn't let a Gryffindor pry any knowledge out of him with which he wasn't willing to divulge. 

Lupin tapped his nose. "It becomes more sensitive as the full moon approaches. I spoke with the Headmaster to confirm my suspicions and he explained the need for secrecy. You have nothing to fear from me, I trust you with my secrets."

There was no way of knowing what exactly Lupin knew or what Dumbledore would have said. Severus said nothing, merely watching Lupin with a stony expression. Lupin quaffed the rest of the potion and set the empty goblet to the side. 

"I've been talking to Harry and he-"

"Lupin," said Severus, cutting off what he was sure to be a very long and patronizing speech about how Lupin had Harry's best interests at heart. "You have no business telling my nephew about your sex life."

"What?" Lupin sputtered, his face turning pink. "I did no such thing!"

"You should be careful whom you tell such things. People might become suspicious and wonder why you feel the need to express your sexual preference to my nephew." Lupin was a Gryffindor but not stupid. Severus trusted that he would pick up on the non-subtle threat hidden in those words. He was not disappointed. 

Lupin's eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open. When he recovered himself, he spit out his words, "What?! How can you say that! I like men, not boys!" With a huff, he whirled around and marched from the room, slamming the door behind him.

Severus cleared the remains of the Wolfsbane. Either Lupin had just given Severus the greatest insult he had ever received to his face, or else the werewolf didn't know that Severus and Harry shared a sexual relationship. Severus suspected the latter. He doubted his impoverished colleague had ever encountered a coney before, much less knew details about them. 

Harry returned a few minutes later. He asked "What were you talking about?" as he scrubbed out the two cauldrons Severus had emptied. 

"None of your business," said Severus. After a moment, he added, "I don't want you around Lupin while the full moon is close."

"He'll be a werewolf soon?" Harry's breathless voice and wide eyes betrayed his excitement. 

Severus debated telling Harry that werewolves' favourite food was rabbit, but, knowing Harry, that would only encourage him. "All he does is sleep," he lied.

"Oh." Harry's face fell. 

Severus was sure if Harry had his coney ears, they would have drooped in disappointment.

~

When the weekend, and Remus's transformation arrived, Severus took Harry to Diagon Alley for a day in order to buy supplies that couldn't be ordered by mail. Once Dumbledore accidentally found out the extent of Severus's free time, through the usual talkative Harry, the Headmaster requested more potions, including some for which Severus had limited ingredients. Severus would have left Harry at Hogwarts, even knowing Harry would try to find Lupin, had Harry not burst into Severus's rooms and announced, "I rode a Hippogriff!" 

Severus cursed Hagrid under his breath. That overgrown oaf shouldn't be allowed to care for a pack of flobberworms. Next, he would be introducing Harry to giants. Severus slammed his notebook shut.

"Put on your robes, we are going to Diagon Alley."

Harry just stood there, his face a study of confusion. "Why?"

Severus was not used to having an order questioned and his ill-mood intensified. "Because I said so! Now put on your robes."

Harry scurried off to the bedroom. He emerged dressed in his robes and stood in the den, watching Severus with round eyes. 

From the Headmaster's office, they took the Floo to Diagon Alley. Severus strode towards the Apothecary shop, Harry tagging along beside him. About halfway there, Harry suddenly ducked behind Severus. Alarmed, Severus clenched his wand in his robes. He looked around, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary other than three witches dressed in robes that announced they were from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Figuring that Harry had hid from them, Severus took a detour into Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. 

"Why were you hiding from them?" asked Severus once they were inside the building.

Harry stared out the window at the women. "They might recognise me."

Severus looked critically at the coney standing before him. Even though he had only transformed Harry's ears to glasses, he doubted the officials would recognise the healthy, well-fed boy to be the same starved, beaten kit he had encountered in the shop. "They won't," he assured Harry. "And even if they did, I own you now. They can't take you away from me."

Harry brightened and smiled up at him.

Severus removed a few coins from his pocket and pressed them into Harry's hand. "Go buy yourself a cone; whatever flavour you like." Harry's smile widened into a huge grin and he hurried over to the counter. Severus swept over to a chair which allowed him a view of both Harry and the street outside. It was best to be cautious. 

"Your ice cream, Professor."

Severus turned to see Harry holding two small cones in each hand instead of the one large one he had excepted the coney to buy. He motioned for Harry to take the seat across from him. "I don't want a cone, eat both of them."

Harry wiggled his bum into the seat and began to enthusiastically lick his ice cream cones, switching back and forth between them. His little pink tongue darted in and out of his mouth as a sigh of contentment emerged from deep within his throat. Severus could not look away, his eyes focused on Harry's tongue which lavished the scoop of ice cream with too much attention. It was so wrong. To sit here, growing hard in a shop full of children, watching his coney enjoy a treat. Harry glanced up, his brilliant eyes sending a pulse of arousal straight to Severus's groin. Harry's tongue had paused on its way to his mouth, a gob of white substance on the tip. Swallowing it down, he asked Severus, "D'you want a lick?"

His mouth dry, his heart pounding, Severus shook his head. He forced his tone to be nonchalant as he answered, "No, thank you." What he really wanted was to march over there, knock aside the cones, and have Harry suck his dick with the same enthusiasm the coney was showing for the sweet desserts. 

Harry shrugged and returned to his cones. He gave a long, slow lick along one of the cones, lapping up a long dribble that had melted down the side. Severus had had enough. He stood, motioning for Harry to follow him and whirled around, marching towards the door. A man, standing near the door with a beautiful blonde witch, stared at Harry as the two of them walked past and Severus hexed him under his breath. 

Beside the Apothecary there was a store devoted to fancy teas. A handsome male coney stood outside, beckoning customers to come in and smell the wares. Like every other male coney Severus had seen besides Harry, he stood tall, taller than Severus, with wide shoulders and thick arms and legs. Dressed in form-fitting trousers and a loose blouse that showed off his well-developed pectoral muscles, he flipped back a mane of long, white hair and flashed a dazzling white smile at Severus. 

With a sexual forwardness even a Gryffindor could not fail to cotton on to, he suggested with a seductive purr, "Why don't you come inside and try our teas, sir? You will not be disappointed in our selection." 

A sharp hissing sound broke the air as if a snake had been released into the alley. Severus gripped his wand, ready to defend. The coney's eyes shot towards Harry who leapt in front of Severus. His hands clenched into fists, his teeth bared, Harry bent forward as if ready to attack the other coney and rip out his throat. For a moment, Severus and the blond coney stared at Harry while a low, inhuman growl emerged from his throat. 

"Excuse me," said Severus to the gaping blond coney. He grabbed Harry by the scruff of his robes and dragged him off towards a side alley. He set up privacy wards and shoved his wand back in his robes then grabbed Harry's arms and pushed him against a wall. 

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" 

Harry's eyes flashed. "He was flirting with you!"

Severus growled, "That's what normal coneys do, you brain-dead kit!" 

"I-!"

"Be quiet." Severus shook him, shoving him into the wall.

Harry’s mouth snapped shut, the anger fading from his eyes.

Severus gripped Harry's arms tightly as he spoke in a low, authoritative voice, "You will never, ever, hiss at another coney again, do you understand me?"

His eyes wide, his face white, Harry nodded.

"I cannot take you out in public if you are acting like a thick-headed kit. I will not have you taken from me due to your own stupidity." Severus narrowed his eyes at Harry, determined to have obedience. He could not risk it, not when he had promised the Board to be discrete. "You will ignore every other coney you see, no matter what. You will play the part of my assistant perfectly."

Harry nodded and whispered, "Yes, Professor."

Satisfied that Harry would not harass any other male coneys, Severus released him and took a step back. He pulled out his wand to remove the wards. Harry gave a little gasp and curled in on himself protectively. 

Severus hadn't meant to terrify Harry and the display of raw fear from the normally fearless coney sent ice through his veins. He softened his expression and motioned for Harry to approach him. "Come here. I won't hurt you."

His wary eyes darting between the wand and Severus's face, Harry pushed off the wall cautiously and stepped over. He stopped just out of reach of Severus's arm. Severus hadn't seen the kit so closed off and guarded since he first brought him home. Tucking his wand away, Severus closed the distance between them and brushed the dirt off Harry's robes. 

"When we return to the shop, you will act as if nothing happened and I will modify the coney's memory." Severus ran his fingers through Harry's hair and lightly squeezed the back of his tense neck. "You don't have to worry."

"Yes, Professor," said Harry tonelessly.

Severus turned away, pulled out his wand, and removed the wards. He looked over his shoulder and stretched out his hand towards Harry. Harry looked at it for a moment, then placed his hand in Severus's. Severus led him back to the Apothecary's, modifying the blond coney's memory as they passed by him. Harry remained close to Severus's side while he picked ingredients for the lab. Normally quite talkative, Harry did not speak at all as they returned to Hogwarts and placed the ingredients away on the shelves. Once everything had been set to order, Harry turned to Severus and asked in a business-like tone, "Do you need me to do anything else, Professor?"

"No, nothing else," said Severus. 

Harry turned and left. 

At dinner, Harry sat with Draco and whispered things that sent them both into fits of laughter. Severus tried to ignore them and focus on his meal, but they were quite obnoxious and he had half a mind to march over to them and demand they eat their dinner instead of braying like hyenas.

"Are you feeling alright, my dear boy?" asked the Headmaster, his bright blue hat glittering obscenely. "You've been quiet all evening."

"I am fine," said Severus, perhaps with a bit too much vehemence.

"Have an éclair." Dumbledore pushed a plate before Severus.

Severus stabbed one with his fork.

After dinner, Severus retired to his rooms where he set about grading student essays. He had used an entire pot of red ink when the door to his private quarters opened. Severus paused, his quill in the middle of insulting the writer's parentage, as Harry slipped into the room. Without so much as a look or acknowledgment towards Severus, Harry walked into the bedroom. 

Severus threw down his quill, his jaw tight with suppressed emotion. He had had enough of Harry's poor behaviour. He had been perfectly right to discipline him. After all, he couldn't have Harry running around hissing and growling at anybody. Storming from his chair in a billow of robes, he marched into the bedroom and found Harry perched on the edge of the bed, pulling off his trainers. With a quick flick of his wand and without any forewarning, Severus removed the rest of the coney's clothing.

Harry's head shot up and he stared at Severus as if he couldn't decide whether to fight or flee.

Severus advanced towards the kit. "You are my coney," he growled. He grabbed Harry's arm in a tight grip and flipped him over onto his stomach. Harry gave a startled gasp but didn't attempt to escape, his legs dangling over the side of the bed. "I own you." Severus restored Harry's ears and tail, running his finger through the soft bit of black fur above Harry's buttocks. "You are my pet." 

" _My_ coney," he repeated, stroking Harry's quivering tail. 

Harry gasped and grabbed the sheets in his fists.

Slipping a finger down into the crease, Severus cast a lubrication spell. "I expect to be obeyed." He stood, pushing aside his robes and unbuttoned his trousers. Harry remained immobile and silent; his ears lying tight and flat against his head. 

The sight of Harry lying there, so submissive and ready to be fucked was enough to bring Severus swiftly to hardness. Two sharp tugs on his dick and he was ready to penetrate the round, smooth arse beneath him. Severus grabbed the firm arse cheeks and spread them widely apart, giving him a clear view of the coney's tight, pink entrance. Without any preparation, he pressed his thick prick up against the hole and with one quick forceful snap of his hips, he drove in up to the hilt. 

"Nn!" Harry tensed beneath him, clutching the sheets.

Severus leaned forward and placed his hands on the bed on either side of Harry's body. He started to fuck the coney with deep, slow movements, almost pulling out completely before sliding back in again. "I don't care about that coney. I don't care about any other coney."

As he thrust his hips, he raised one hand to stroke Harry's flattened ears. Harry moaned and trembled.

Severus increased his pace, driving his cock harder and faster into the coney's tight hole. "If I want another coney... I will buy one." Nevermind the fact that he couldn't afford any coney but Harry and even he was a stretch of Severus's budget. 

"You _will_ behave." Severus wrapped his hand around Harry's tail and tugged on it, scratching his fingers through the fur. "You will act appropriately in public."

"Ahhh! Yes!" gasped Harry, his back arching. Spreading his legs wide, loud moans escaped his throat with each pounding drive of Severus's cock deep into his arse. Hands clawing at the sheets, he canted his hips, trying to fuck himself on Severus’s cock. "Yes! Fuck me harder!" he screamed.

Those words undoing what little restraint he had, Severus pressed both hands down on the bed and poured all his strength into fucking Harry as hard and fast as he could. Harry cried out loudly with each fierce, deep ram into his hole, his ears erect and quivering with pleasure.

It didn't take long for Harry to come. His moans became pleading whimpers of need as he held himself up on trembling legs, begging to be fucked harder and deeper. Severus didn’t even need to touch Harry before he shot ribbons of pearly come over the sheets, his head thrown back, his ears rigid, and his breath caught in his throat. 

For a moment, Harry’s pleasure was enough to satisfy Severus’s, but then the urge of his own body overwhelmed him and he bit at Harry's shoulder and emptied himself inside the tight, hot channel. His anger poured out with his semen and, after he finished climaxing, he regretted his roughness.

After what had happened, Severus expected Harry to retreat to his own rooms for the evening, but Harry persisted in demanding sex and they fucked until Severus ached and could not move a single muscle, much less the necessary ones. Harry bit and scratched more than usual, hard enough to draw blood. But by the end of the night, he was curled up in Severus's arms with erect ears and drifting off to sleep. 

"You should make a potion so we can have sex all night long," he murmured into Severus's chest.

~

Harry never seemed to not want sex. He liked to pounce on Severus between classes and drag him into the room that turned into whatever Harry desired it to be. Normally, it was modelled after Severus's bedroom back at the cottage, but a few days after the trip to Diagon Alley, Harry pulled Severus into an exact replica of his potions classroom.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked as he scurried over to one of the desks. Severus gazed around the room in astonishment. He noted that not only had Harry replicated all the ingredients on the shelves perfectly, but also identical copies of the homeworks he had been grading rested on the desk. He rifled through the papers, almost forgetting where he was until Harry said, "What will you teach me today, Professor?"

Severus glanced up to see Harry dressed in a Slytherin school uniform sitting at one of the desks with an eager look upon his face. Although Harry looked young enough to be a student, Severus knew coneys reached maturity more quickly than humans and retained their youthful features for most of their lives. However, now, dressed in the students' uniform instead of his assistant robes, Harry looked too much like the third years Severus had taught just the hour before. It wasn't as though he had been unaware of Harry's youthful appearance, but never had he reflected on the fact that while male coneys stood fairly tall, most as tall as him. Harry barely reached his shoulder. How old was Harry? It was illegal to sell a coney under the age of sexual maturity, but shops in Knockturn Alley weren't known for their pious adherence to laws. Was Harry even old enough to have sex in kit years?

His heart pounding, his throat dry, he ordered, "Take off the uniform."

Harry grinned and raised a hand to toy with his collar. "I've never had a lesson like this before, Professor."

Severus slammed his hand down on the desk and snapped, "This isn't a game! Change back to your normal clothing this instant."

The smile vanished from Harry's face, his eyes widening behind the frames. "What's wrong?" 

"I said, 'change your clothing'." Severus stormed across the room as he yanked out his wand to remove the clothes by force if necessary.

Quickly, Harry scurried over to a cauldron at the end of the row and grabbed a pile of clothing. His fingers shook as they slid down the row of buttons on his shirt.

Seeing his order obeyed, Severus paused and ran a hand through his hair as he attempted to calm himself. "You are not to dress like a student. Ever." When his heart rate returned to normal, he said, as calmly as he could, "I must attend to some work. I will see you at dinner." Without waiting for a response, he left, closing the door behind him as he slipped out into the hallway. 

Severus marched down the hall, students scattering like pinballs to avoid his path. He knew that the Board of Governors would agree with Lucius that Harry was a coney, not human, and thus the normal rules did not apply. Even if Harry were to be found to be underage, it would be on the shop-keeper's fault, rather than his own. Why hadn't he thought about Harry's age earlier? He should have been more careful. He should have examined Harry's records to be sure he was old enough. He had to make sure Harry was of age before he allowed himself to touch the kit again. 

At dinner, Harry sat beside Draco, shooting not-so-discreet glances at Severus. Severus ignored him and retired to his rooms early. He expected Harry to show up shortly after and the coney did, hurrying in a few minutes after Severus had shut the door. Severus opened his mouth to speak, but Harry interrupted.

"I wasn't trying to be human, Professor. I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Harry said.

Severus blinked, caught off guard. "Trying to be human?"

Harry walked over to where Severus was sitting on the sofa and dropped down near the Potions Master's feet. He rested his chin on Severus's knees and gazed up at him with hopeful eyes. "I like being your coney."

Severus's eyebrows knit together as he stared down at Harry, confused by the sudden confession. He cleared his throat to speak again, but Harry barrelled on.

"But I also want to be your student so that I could see you all the time."

"You'd get bored of me quickly," muttered Severus.

Harry shook his head. "No, never. You smell really good."

Severus blinked. Of all the compliments he ever expected to receive, that had to be the last. Potion fumes were not considered pleasant-smelling by anyone.

"When you'd spend all day in your lab, I used to go in your cupboard and smell your robes."

Severus's train of thought vanished in a puff of smoke and when he opened his mouth, the only words that came out were, "You did?" 

Harry climbed up into Severus's lap and wrapped his arms around Severus's neck. "You don't have to worry, I returned the clothes to Draco. I promise I won't dress as a student again."

"Those were Draco's clothes?" Severus could feel his eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline. He wondered what Lucius would say if he knew Severus had almost fucked Harry in Draco's clothing. 

Harry mistook his surprise for dismay. "Oh no, don't worry! I didn't tell Draco what they were for."

"I'm surprised he lent them to you," Severus said, remembering his godson as the type of boy who enjoyed keeping a tight hold on his possessions.

Harry frowned. "I had to pay for them."

"Pay for them? With what?" 

Harry lowered his eyes, a guilty expression flashing across his face. "I had to let him kiss me on the cheek."

"What?!" 

"But he cheated and kissed my lips! So I punched him."

"You punched him?" Severus couldn't believe what he was hearing. 

"Not hard," said Harry when he saw the look on Severus's face. "He didn't bleed this time."

Severus shook his head. He hoped that since Harry and Draco had sat together at dinner that Draco had forgiven Harry for the punch, but really, the brat deserved it. He became more like his father every day. 

Watching Severus's reactions, Harry bit his lip. "Was it wrong to hit him?"

"No." Severus restored Harry's ears and pet one. "Not if he deserved it, which he did."

Harry leaned forward to kiss Severus but Severus caught his shoulders, too unnerved by the fact that he didn't know how old Harry was to allow him to kiss him.

As nonchalantly as he could, Severus asked, "How old are you?" 

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I know I was born in the summer."

How could he not know his age? How young was he? A pit opened in Severus's stomach and he swallowed before he asked, "You have reached maturity, haven't you?"

Eyes flashing in anger, Harry leapt to his feet as his ears shot backwards. "Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm not an adult!"

Not wanting to try to reason with an angry coney, Severus attempted a different attack. "How long ago were you sold to the shops?" 

Harry scrunched his nose up as he thought. "....at least a year. Maybe a year and a half."

"Right after you had been weaned?" 

Harry shook his head. "No, it was a while after." 

"Years?" pressed Severus, hoping for an affirmative answer.

"At least two winters." Harry nodded and sat down beside Severus on the sofa. His ears began to perk up again. "Why do you want to know?"

Severus couldn't resist petting one of Harry's ears. "If you were underage when I purchased you, then the shop keeper broke the law and I can have him punished." 

The announcement was enough to send a grin across Harry’s face, but he shook his head. "I know I was old enough, because we left the family just before I turned of age."

Severus frowned. "You were sold before you turned of age?"

Harry pursed his lips. "No, my mum and I lived on our own for a while."

Severus had never heard of coneys living apart from a wizarding family. He had not even considered the fact that Harry had to have a family of his own. "Where is your mother now?"

"She died," said Harry, no emotion apparent in his voice. 

"And your father?"

Harry shrugged. "I never met him and the only thing mum ever said about him was that he was a stud."

Not knowing what else he could say in response to that, Severus said, "Both of my parents are dead."

"I know. I saw their pictures." A small smile tugged on Harry’s lips and he leaned against Severus. "I looked in your photo albums. Your mum smiled at me."

"Did she?" Severus absently ran his fingers through the soft fur on Harry's ears.

Harry's fingers crept up Severus's torso. "Do you think she would've liked me?" 

"I'm sure she would've-" Severus realised Harry had begun to unbutton his frock. "Wait-" he began, grabbing Harry's hand and holding it still against his chest. "This is-"

Harry's ears dropped. "Don't you want me anymore?" He pressed his body against Severus's, his erection firm against Severus's thigh. "I _need_ you." Harry stroked his hand over the front of Severus's trousers, igniting arousal.

Harry smelled wonderful; his body warm and toned beneath the thin layer of clothing. Severus wanted to tear off the clothes and plunge into him again and again. He pushed Harry off him. "I need to take a shower. You should sleep in your own rooms." Without giving Harry a backward glance, he strode off towards the bathroom, locking the door behind him. 

When he emerged from the bathroom, he found Harry sprawled naked face down across his bed.

"I told you to sleep in your rooms."

Harry shifted slightly, his legs parting further and his tail rising. "I can't sleep without you. Please?"

Severus paused before answering, eyeing the black fluff of tail. "You may sleep with me but no sex for now." 

Harry shot up to his knees, his ears flying back as if Severus had just suggested that they stop having sex completely. "Why not?" 

"There is something I need to check out first." Severus approached the bed and slid under the covers. 

Falling backwards as if he had just been hit with the Killing Curse, Harry clutched his hands to his chest. "I'll die."

Severus scoffed. "Don't be so dramatic. You survived living with me for several weeks without sex."

Harry wiggled his way over, pressing against Severus. "It was so difficult. I took things and put them inside me, pretending it was you."

Mental images flashed through Severus's head and he pushed them quickly away before his body could react. His mouth dry, he asked, "You did?" 

Harry nodded. He pressed his head against Severus's chest, one ear laid flat across his torso as if examining Severus's heart beat. "It wasn't enough." Harry's hands began drifting in slow circles. "You were much bigger and you felt-" 

Knowing he would be lost if he allowed Harry to continue with the vivid descriptions, Severus caught Harry's hands. "If you try to touch me tonight or tomorrow, I will send you to your rooms." 

"Professor, I'm sorry about the clothes. I-"

"This isn't about the clothing-"

The green eyes narrowed. "Are you mad at me?" 

"I'm not mad at you." Severus turned Harry around and pulled him back against his body. He wrapped his arms around Harry and held him against his chest. "Just wait until tomorrow. I need to examine something first."

Harry's ears draped over his shoulders. "That's so far away."

"I'm sure you can manage."

"I'll die if I don't get sex." 

"Tsk. I doubt that's true." 

"How do you know it's not?" Harry wiggled around to face Severus. "I'm sure it is. I think I'm allergic to not having sex."

Severus scoffed. "You can't be allergic to not having sex."

"I'm a coney," announced Harry, his brow furrowed. "If I don't get semen in me regularly, I'll get sick and die." 

"No you won't." Severus tweaked Harry's nose. "How would you survive if you had a Mistress instead of a Master?"

Without skipping a beat, Harry answered, "I'd sneak away and have sex with you."

Severus suppressed a smile and kissed him on the forehead. "You'll be fine. Besides, you lasted longer than this when we first met." 

Harry pouted and grabbed Severus's hand, dragging it down to press against his chest. "Can you feel how much my heart hurts? And my lungs. It hurts to breathe and-"

Harry would pester him all night unless he found some way to pacify him. "Shhh, calm down. It's alright. I'll give you something to help you." Severus left the bed and retrieved a sleeping potion. Harry gulped it down and curled up against Severus, falling asleep almost immediately. 

As Severus watched Harry sleep, he didn't know what he would do if he found out the coney was underaged. He wouldn't be able to keep Harry, but he also couldn't give him up. Perhaps he would entrust him to Albus. 

His mind racing over all possibilities and outcomes, he tried to sleep, but it was a long night.

 

[[Please review!]]


	3. Chapter 3:  A Visit to the Ministry

  
Author's notes: A sequel to Bunny Tale Part 1: Harry adjusts to Hogwarts; Severus adjusts to Harry.  


* * *

A Visit to the Ministry

Polyjuice Potion and glamours were two well-known methods of disguise. Anyone utilising one of those methods could not expect to stay hidden for long. However, combined, they were surprisingly effective. Most individuals who had reason to be suspicious cottoned onto the glamour and congratulated themselves on seeing straight through a disguise. Very rarely did people suspect that the disguise concealed another. It was a very primitive method and did not hold up to close intelligent scrutiny, but the Ministry of Magic lacked well-developed security measures, particularly in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

As coneys did not have their own office in the Beast Division, the wizard at the front desk directed Severus to the Office of Pet Regulation. The room's bright yellow walls were smothered in a variety of posters. A handsome male coney with strong arms wrapped around a comely witch winked at Severus from his poster, which read: "Prevent unwanted kits! Neuter your coneys!" A Crup puppy ran around in circles, chasing its forked tail, on a poster which urged wizards to respect the law and remove the fork by the eighth week. 

A portion of the wall consisted of nothing but a magazines rack stuffed full with magazines on nearly every pet imaginable. One, dedicated to coneys, featured a pretty ginger witch hugging a buxom blonde coney who kissed her owner on the cheek over and over again. The article titles flashing across the front included 'The newest collars and coney fashions!' and 'Coney won't stop pestering you for sex? Linda Leporidae, expert coney trainer, teaches you how to make your pet behave!' as well as 'Breeding Coneys: How to get the most for your money.'

The door behind the desk swung open and a portly blonde witch swathed in rust-coloured robes bustled towards the desk. 

With a smile too bright not to have been artificially enhanced at such an early hour she said, "Good morning. How may I help you?"

Severus strode over to the desk. "I'm here to examine the records for a coney who may have been sold while under age."

She nodded and reached for a scroll nearby with a practiced air as if it were a common request. "Name and number of the coney?"

"Harry. 421013."

The receptionist wrote the letters and numbers with a flourish. When she was finished, she peered at the scroll, and then said, "He is of age and he has been for the past four years."

Four years? Severus did not try to hide his surprise. "He is very small."

She gave a knowing nod. "Your coney is probably a runt. I'm afraid those never grow to full size," she apologised as if Harry's height deficiency was somehow the consequence of one of her actions. "Since there is no sexual dimorphism in coneys, the breeders try to breed the males tall and broad and the females small, but sometimes mistakes do get made. Normally, they are culled from litters, but since some people like them, there is no law against selling runts, and breeders aren't required by law to inform the buyer that their coney is a runt. We try to encourage people to use our recommended breeders to avoid this problem." 

The apologetic way in which she said 'runt' and explained the laws made it very clear to Severus that smaller-sized male coneys were not as well-regarded as the larger ones. No wonder Harry had reacted angrily when Severus asked if he had reached maturity.

Glancing down at the scroll as she began to roll it back up, the receptionist paused and said, "Oh, this is interesting. His father is James." She said the name as if Severus should know of that particular coney. "I'm surprised _he_ produced a runt. Perhaps this certificate was forged. I'll cross-check it with James's list of sons."

"James?" asked Snape as he shifted closer to the desk in order to get a better look at the scroll.

Her well-plucked eyebrows nearly leapt off her head. "You've not heard of James? He's only the most sought-after stud for coneys! He's pure bred and in such demand, you need a cauldron full of galleons just for a single mating with him. If this coney really was the son of James, then your seller would've told you for sure." With a fierce jerk of her quill, she crossed out Harry's information and waited for the scroll to clear of letters and numbers before writing down James's which she had apparently memorised. A list of about twenty names and numbers swam into view on the information retrieval scroll. "Oh, no, here he is." She tapped Harry's name and number with a lilac nail. "He is a son of James." She frowned and peered at Severus through narrowed eyes. "Any breeder wealthy enough to afford James would have informed you of his parentage. He may have been stolen and resold on the black market. Where did you purchase him?" 

"Lagomorpha in Knockturn," Snape said. "He does have black fur."

The receptionist quirked an eyebrow. "Shame. His father is one of the best, too." Turning her head back to the scroll, she crossed out James's information and re-entered Harry's. "His mother is listed as Lily. I've not heard of her before, she was probably a mutt." A few more flicks of the feather and Lily's information now appeared before her. "Yes, a mutt. Deceased too, probably from that heart condition many mutts seem to have." Glancing back up at Snape, she said, "You should have your coney examined for defects since he was poorly bred. Of course, with James's seed, he'll have a better chance, but you never know about these things."

When Harry had complained about his heart hurting, Severus assumed the coney was exaggerating for dramatic effect. Knowing Harry, he couldn't rule it out, but he would have to find a way to have Harry examined. 

"Thank you." He turned to leave. 

"Oh!" She waved her hand to call Severus's attention back to her. "Normally I would suggest that you castrate him-" Seeing Severus's expression darken, she hurried on before he could express his objection. "It makes them more manageable. But, since James's seed is in such demand, you should be able to breed him for a fair amount of money even with his defects. Sometimes these things skip a generation and, with proper breeding, you might be able to produce a perfect coney. To register a stud, you only need to pay a small fee and-"

Making his disapproval clear in his voice, Severus said, "I will not be breeding him." The idea was ludicrous and insulting. While Harry was smaller than Severus would prefer, hearing his small stature and colour called 'defects' rankled Severus. He would much rather have Harry for a coney than those brainless, blond bucks.

"You could earn hundreds of galleons a year!"

"Thank you for your time." Severus spun on his heels and strode towards the door in a cloud of robes.

~

When Severus returned, Harry was still sleeping.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Severus ran his fingertips down Harry's spine. 

"Mmmm?" murmured Harry sleepily, green seeping through his partly open eyelids. 

"Wake up, sleepy." Severus tugged on one limp ear. "Breakfast is in an hour."

Harry rolled onto his back. "Kiss me?" 

Severus bent down and tasted his soft lips. When the kiss broke, Harry whispered, "Pet my tail?" and shifted his hips, revealing his pert black puff.

Severus trailed his fingers through the soft fur. Pink spread across Harry's cheeks, his eyes widening before the lids grew heavy again and the green watched Severus through a haze. 

"Kiss my neck?" 

Severus tasted the delicious skin on the side of Harry's neck.

"Pet my ears?"

And so it continued, each part needing to be kissed or petted until the only places left untouched were Harry's full sex, tight balls, and puckered entrance.

It was unlike Harry to be so restrained. He lay there trembling, staring at Severus with vibrant green eyes as he offered various parts of his body for Severus's attention. Severus knew Harry wouldn't be able to last much longer, so he undressed and stretched out on the bed beside him. "Kiss me," he told Harry. Harry obeyed hungrily, pressing his erection into Severus's thigh as he devoured his mouth. 

Pushing Harry away from him at last, Severus said, "Kiss my penis."

Harry's ears shot vertical and he nearly dove at Severus's penis, wrapping his fist around the thick organ and giving it a long, slow lick. Severus opened his mouth to point out that a lick was not a kiss, but then Harry sucked him all the way to the root and he let out a low "Ah!"

He wanted to hold out, but he couldn't for long, not with Harry's wickedly skilled tongue doing that. And that! 

Severus pulled Harry to the head of the bed, put him on his knees, and gave him the fucking he'd wanted to give him since the day before. Harry gripped the headboard and expressed his approval with shouts of joy so enthusiastic, it was as if they hadn't had sex for a month rather than half a day.

They never made it to breakfast. Severus arrived late for his first class, which wasn't until the second period. The Headmaster stood at the front of the classroom, instructing the students in how to store healing potions inside sweets.

"Back from the market so soon?" he asked when the door slammed open and Severus swept towards the dais in a flurry of black cloth.

"Yes," answered Severus, not skipping a beat. "We've gathered all the ingredients we need."

"Excellent." With a wave of a blindingly orange sleeve, Dumbledore excused himself from the classroom. 

After lunch, Severus prepared for the seventh years. 

Harry arrived to attend to his duties. When the door closed, he asked Severus to examine his upper thigh. "I hurt myself, but it hasn't gone away even though I used the potions you gave me. It's only injured on the surface."

The blatant ploy did not fool Severus. "Remove your trousers."

Harry wasted no time in stripping down, his hands flying quickly over the laces of his trainers before yanking down both the trousers and the smalls. To Severus's astonishment, a large, hand-sized purple bruise did mar the outside of Harry's right thigh. 

"What happened?"

"I was running in the halls and I tripped." Harry shrugged, his eyes evading Severus's. 

A Weasley product, no doubt. Unlike Pomfrey, Severus refused to believe that the bizarre symptoms which seemed to plague certain students, especially Gryffindors, during examinations and on project due dates had any natural cause. He should be angry that Harry tried to trick him and lied, but the Slytherin machinations filled his heart with warmth. 

Pretending to believe the lies, Severus taught Harry how to treat a bruise properly, then blew him before fucking him silly. As they dressed, Severus decided to put an end to Harry's attempts to trick him into bed – no matter how endearing they were.

"There are no more restrictions on our sexual activity."

Harry's grin nearly split his face in half. "We can do it whenever we want!?"

"Not whenever, The same as before."

"Oh." Disappointment crossed Harry's face, but then he grinned. "I'll see you after dinner, Professor." He kissed Severus and left.

For the next week, half a day was the longest they spent without fucking. Then a student pissing around in Herbology accidentally fused a slime mold with a choking creeper and created the worst blight in the greenhouse Severus had ever seen. Every moment out of class, he retreated to the lab, hypothesising, brewing, and testing. He took breaks to eat and sleep, but by the time he fell into bed with Harry, he was too tired to do anything but let Harry suck him off once. Three days later, he finally found a cure. He wanted to celebrate with Harry, but first he had to attend to his duties.

Late that night, while he held detentions, the door to the room slammed open and Harry burst through.

"What're you-?" Severus barely had time to get out as Harry stalked across the room to him, his hands curled into fists. Harry threw himself in Severus's lap, kissed him hungrily, and slid down his chest. Like a Niffler going for gold, he tore at the robes covering Severus's groin.

The two Ravenclaw girls serving detention for passing notes in class, stared at the two of them with wide eyes and open mouths.

Severus managed to recover himself long enough to pull his dick out of Harry’s mouth, repair his robes, and send the girls back to their dormitories with their memories modified. As soon as the door closed behind them, he threw up wards and silencing spells and took Harry over the back of the desk.

Between thrusts, he admonished Harry. "Never. Do that. Again."

"Yes!" shouted Harry, although he kept agreeing with Severus long after Severus stopped talking. 

There were only three things that caused Harry to be disagreeable: house-elves, being denied sex, and girls paying an inordinate amount of attention to Severus. Severus discovered the third after Miss Latimer, one of Harry's Slytherin friends, stopped by his rooms in the evening in distress.

After kicking Harry out, Severus listened as she poured out the difficulties of her parents' divorce, her struggles in Transfiguration class, and problems she had with two other Slytherin girls. After she had left with dry eyes and practical advice, Harry stormed through the door. 

Barely looking up from the letter he was writing, Severus restored Harry's ears. Harry ran all around the rooms, as if checking to see if the girl had hidden herself in some corner. When he had looked every place a student could possibly hide, he stood before Severus's desk with his ears laid flat and his fists pressed against his trousers. 

"What were you talking to her about?" asked Harry, his green eyes snake-like slits and his upper lip curling.

The quill paused in Severus's hand as he stared at Harry. Never had he seen such naked jealously, such a raw display of desire and possession. He had no desire to disabuse Harry of the idea that seventeen-year-old girls were interested in hook-nosed potions masters almost old enough to be their fathers, not when it made Harry look and act like that. He firmly said, "That's none of your business."

A tremor ran through Harry's ears and his vibrant eyes widened. He leant across the desk, plucked the quill from Severus's hand and, with a wide sweep of his arm, shoved half the desk contents to the floor. Ink splattered across the carpet and over several scrolls. 

"You stupid brat," growled Severus, reaching for his wand to clean up the mess. He couldn't believe it. Of all the things he expected Harry to do, ruin his work was the last of it.

Harry jumped up on the desk, crawled across its surface, and grabbed the front of Severus's robes. "Fuck me," he hissed, his eyes burning, his teeth bared and his voice low. He looked the very incubus Severus had always teasingly claimed him to be.

Severus grabbed Harry's lapels and dragged him forward, pressing his mouth hungrily against Harry's warm lips. He thrust his tongue inside, holding Harry in place as he kissed him with bruising force, biting his lips and tongue. Harry bit back, tearing at Severus's robes, yanking so hard on the collar that Severus could barely breathe. 

He stood, shoving Harry away. Harry leant back on Severus's desk, his chest heaving, his eyes wild, and licked his lips. Staring at Severus as if daring him to continue, he looked to be a predator more than prey. It was a challenge that had to be met.

Severus tore off his clothing, shedding the confining garments. "If you think I will let you get away with this poor behaviour, you are sorely mistaken." Harry narrowed his eyes, but did not move from his spot on the desk, his chest heaving and his lips curled up in a sneer. Severus marched forward and grabbed the front of Harry's robes. A single spell and all the stitches burst apart. He ripped away every bit of clothing, exposing Harry's ceramic skin.

"Fuck me," gasped Harry, snaking down a hand to tug hard on Severus's dick. "I want you inside me."

Summoning lube, Severus flipped Harry over, pinning him face down on the desk. He squeezed the bottle of lube, drizzling a generous amount over Harry's crack.

Harry wiggled around impatiently. "Just fuck me! I need it!"

Merlin! Severus grabbed Harry's arse cheeks, spreading them apart. He pressed his cockhead against Harry's entrance and sheathed himself completely in one forceful stroke. 

"Ahhh!!" Harry's ears shot upwards. He pressed his fingers so firmly against the wood that the tips turned white.

Severus drove into him again and again, his hips snapping as he buried himself balls deep with each stroke. "You are-" he gasped, "-so difficult."

"Yesssssss." Harry thrust his hips back to meet Severus's. "Faster, Professor, faster!"

Severus plunged into him with all his strength. Harry came with an inarticulate shout, his body tightening painfully hard around Severus's prick as he orgasmed. Severus, far from completion, pulled out and flipped him over. Harry spread his legs, placing his feet on the edge of the desk. "More."

They fucked and fooled around for hours. Harry clawed up Severus's back and nearly pierced his ear with sharp canines. No more delicate, Severus pinned Harry on various objects and drilled into him hard enough to leave bruises on his arse and thighs. The roughness only ended when Severus grabbed Harry's arms and shoved him into the carpet. 

"Ow!" cried Harry in pain. Severus released him as if he had been burnt.

"Are you hurt?"

"My arm." Harry rubbed at the right one. "I hurt it earlier."

"Let me see." Severus reached for it, but Harry snatched it away.

"It's okay, I'll heal it later." He looked up at Severus, his green eyes pleading. "Kiss me?"

It appeared that nothing would prevent Harry from desiring sex, not even an injury. Severus bent down and kissed Harry before changing the tone of their evening to one of gentleness and care, rather than hard fury. Retreating to the bedroom, he laid Harry on the bed and stroked and caressed him until the coney had nearly melted into the cushions. Soon, the only tense parts of his body were his heavy penis and full balls.

Wrapping his arms around Harry, Severus slid inside and whispered words of his enjoyment as he rocked in and out, their warm bodies pressed against each other. Harry came for the last time with Severus's name on his lips, and a smile on his face, his ears lax but draped completely vertical. 

Harry slipped from the bed to take some healing potions and returned to bed to fall asleep, buried in Severus's arms. 

Later, Severus questioned why he hadn’t given more thought to Harry's injured arm, but at the time, it had seemed like nothing at all.

 

[[Please review! I love to hear from you

PS. Are any of you going to Azkatraz, the Harry Potter Convention in San Francisco from July 18-21? I'll be there. You can find the info here:  
http://www.hp2009.org/]]


	4. Chapter 4: Poppy's Suspicions

  
Author's notes: This is the Second Part of A Bunny Tale which was written as an Easter Special for a friend last year. It was meant to be a short, fluffy thing but it has evolved into something more. You can find the first part in my profile.  


* * *

Poppy's Suspicions

Two days after the incident with the Slytherin girl, her shirt mysteriously unbuttoned and flew open in the study hall, exposing her lace brassiere. As she was well-endowed, news of this spread throughout the castle like wildfire, and Severus was soon able to ascertain that the Weasley twins had been involved. He knew the true culprit responsible for the matter, but he could not let any of them go unpunished. 

As soon as he had the opportunity, he cornered the twins in an empty classroom.

"If you believe," he lectured in a low venomous hiss, and with his eyes narrowed to mere slits, "that your association with my nephew absolves you from any guilt or punishment, you are sorely mistaken. I don't care what my nephew said to you, you will never ever harass one of my students again." 

The twins glanced at each other.

"Harry had nothing to do with this, Professor Snape," one of them said. Severus had never bothered to learn which twin was which. They were equally obnoxious.

"We did it on our own," added the other. "Honest."

There was no need to use Legilimency to know they were telling the truth. Harry had manipulated them into seeking his revenge. Despite Severus's anger and annoyance, he couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration for his cunning coney. Showing only his ire, Severus lectured in his deepest tones, "You are lucky that I am not in charge of your house, for I would have you both expelled for sexual harassment. Stripping the clothing off another student is the most offensive, crass, cruel, and disgusting 'prank' I have ever seen in all my years of teaching. Detention. For the rest of the year, and I will be sending an owl to your mother about this incident."

Gasping in horror at Severus's promise to owl their mother, the twins apologised profusely and left, nearly stumbling over each other as they fled towards the door. Professor McGonagall agreed with Severus's choice of punishment and lectured them for hours on end that evening. 

Severus didn't get a chance to speak to Harry alone until after dinner.

"I heard what happened to Miss Latimer," he said when Harry slipped in the door to their quarters that evening.

"Oh. I did, too," said Harry, a little too innocently. 

"Sit down." Severus motioned to a chair he had placed opposite his desk. It was an uncomfortable wooden one typically found in the classroom. Harry sat, smoothing out his robes over and over again as his eyes darted all over Severus's desk, looking at Severus only for a bit before glancing away.

Severus just sat there and looked at him, disapproval written on his face. He knew from experience that students often found his stony silence worse than his yelling and so saved it for occasions when he was too angry to yell. The stare ate at them more than his words ever could.

Harry's fidgeting increased as if his guilt were a creature inside of him, trying to escape. He put a finger in his mouth and chewed on it before he yanked it out and exclaimed, "I didn't know they would do that!"

Severus arched an eyebrow, staring down his long nose at Harry. "You thought it appropriate that the Weasleys should do something?" 

Shoulders curling in, Harry's eyes darted down to his fingers. "I'm sorry," he said.

Even if Harry had picked on a girl who had deserved to be punished, the outcome had been reprehensible and Harry, as a coney, didn't have the same freedoms as the students. If the Board found out that his coney was really behind the cruel prank, Severus might be forced to let Harry go, or they could order him removed from Hogwarts. Lucius would be all too happy to take Harry in. 

Severus gave Harry a punishment he knew would leave the most memorable impression on the coney: "No sex for 48 hours and you will sleep in your own room for the next two nights."

Harry's head shot up, and his mouth dropped open. Severus arched an eyebrow. Harry's head drooped, and he curled his fingers in his lap.

"The students are human, and you are a coney," Severus reminded him. "If you ever do something like this again, don't think that I won't sell you in an instant. Coneys who attack humans are put down, and I will not see my money wasted." Only violent coneys were put down and Severus would've fought to keep possession of Harry, but he couldn't take chances; not when the stakes were so high.

"Go to your rooms." Severus picked up his quill and turned his gaze towards his desk. "You are not to step foot in here until 48 hours from now."

"I'm sorry, Professor," said Harry before Severus heard him leave in a slow, quiet shuffle to the door. 

When Harry didn't arrive for breakfast the next morning, Severus worried he'd been too harsh, but at lunch Harry sat with Draco, and Dumbledore commented that Harry had been very helpful that morning, helping him organise his sweet collection. 

That afternoon, Severus called Miss Latimer to his office under the pretext of discussing the event that had happened in the study hall. During their meeting, he taught her Langlock in a circuitous manner that could not be traced back to him. An apt pupil, she employed her knowledge at dinner when her embarrassment for what the twins had done was at its height. Although McGonagall pretended to remain ignorant of the source of the curse, all the Slytherins knew, and Latimer became the new house favourite. 

Severus's bed felt empty and cold without Harry, but he had said 48 hours and couldn't go back on his word. He half expected to be pestered, but Harry didn't try to approach him. Instead Harry helped Hagrid feed the Hippogriffs the next morning, assisted Lupin between his responsibilities in the Potion lab in the afternoon, and set up the telescopes in the evening before dinner. At dinner, Harry sat with Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw who made each potion to perfection, despite the fact that she seemed to have no idea what was happening around her. When he stood to leave, Draco walked over and caught his robe, whispering something in Harry's ear. Harry shot a glance at Severus and shook his head, pulling his sleeve out of Draco's grasp. 

Not one to take 'no' for an answer, Draco grabbed Harry's wrist and whispered more words that finally convinced Harry to follow him out. 

By the time Harry arrived at Severus's door that evening, Severus ached for him. It was easy to ignore his sexual urges when preoccupied with a problem, but without a distraction, he could think of nothing but how long it had been since he last held Harry in his arms. When Harry stepped through the door, there was no thought in his mind but quenching his thirst. Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Severus didn't need to hear it. He pulled Harry against him and accepted the apology with a kiss.

Later, as they lay in bed together, Harry tracing shapes on Severus's chest, Severus said, "If you should have problems with anyone, come to me or the Headmaster." Dumbledore sometimes acted like a daft twit, but Severus had known him long enough to feel confident that he could resolve any situations arising from Harry's jealousies. 

"I will," promised Harry. 

~

Things were perfect for two days. Then a first year arrived at the lab while Severus was cleaning up from the fourth years. 

"Madam Pomfrey would like to see you," said the student in a small voice.

In the middle of stirring, Severus absently nodded in response. "Very well, tell her I'll be there in a second." He wasn't due to deliver the newest round of healing potions for another few days, but perhaps she needed an extra order or two after the last Quidditch match.

He arrived at her office in the infirmary to find her with her hands on her hips and a tight frown on her face. "I've seen Harry," she said.

Severus bit back the sarcastic reply on the edge of his tongue. He had never seen her so furious. The only explanation he could find for her fury was that she had discovered Harry to be a coney. 

"And? Is he ill?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Severus," she hissed. "That boy has been abused worse than any child I've ever seen."

"Yes, he was. That was why I took him in."

"So you could continue the abuse?"

"What? You think- you think I hurt Harry?" He couldn't believe it. For a Hufflepuff, Poppy was normally quite intelligent. 

"Violent abuse is normally perpetrated by parental figures or lovers. And you are not known for your patience."

It made no sense. He said the first thing that popped into his head. "Don't you think that if I was abusing Harry, I'd have the intelligence to do it in a way in which I couldn't be caught?"

Poppy's lips thinned out and her eyebrows arched. She stared at Severus with a stony face as if daring him to continue.

Severus cleared his throat and tried a different approach. "Did he say that I hurt him?"

Poppy shook her head, her disapproving eyes never leaving Severus's face. In a tone conveying her disbelief, she said, "He claimed that you've never even been cross with him."

"He's lying," said Severus. "I've yelled at him and been rough with him-"

Poppy's eyes narrowed to slits.

"But I've never intentionally set out to hurt him. He's quite clumsy and he-"

"Don't give me that excuse, Severus! If he broke his arm due to clumsiness, you still should have brought him to me!"

"He broke his arm? When?"

"Twice! The first time about ten days ago, the second time about a week ago. You never noticed?"

He hadn’t pushed Harry into the floor that hard. Had he really broken the bone? It must've been badly damaged for him to break it without meaning to. "He expressed soreness, but not as if it were broken." This was ridiculous. Where was Harry? Could someone be hurting him? Those Weasley twins perhaps. Severus pushed past Poppy and strode out of her office.

"Where are you going?" she demanded. "Come back here! I'm not finished!"

He paid her no heed as he ripped aside curtains, trying to find Harry. After a startled second year who had turned himself bright green and a sixth year with five arms, he found Harry sitting on a bed. 

He opened his mouth to speak, but Severus spoke first. "What happened to your arm?" Only then did he remember to put up silencing charms.

Poppy appeared, looking as though she were about to hex Severus blind. Red-faced and panting, she moved to stand near Harry as if to protect him from Severus. 

Harry's eyes drifted between Poppy and Severus, guilt written into every line of his face. "I fell," he said simply, as if that were a common occurrence.

"Off what?"

Harry kept glancing between them, the guilty look on his face increasing. No wonder Poppy thought Harry was being abused by Severus. "Off the bleachers. Not far," he added, looking at Severus's face. 

"And why," said Severus, holding back his impulse to grab Harry's shoulders and drag the truth out of him, "didn't you tell me?"

Harry's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Professor. I didn't know that I should." He was lying! 

Poppy crossed her arms and Severus suspected she wasn't the least bit fooled by that lie either.

Severus held out a hand. "Let me see your arm." 

Harry shifted towards the side of the bed and turned to place his right arm in Severus's hand. Closing his eyes, Severus examined the bone with magic. It had been broken and re-healed poorly, edges of it sticking out into Harry's arm. The kit had to have been in considerable pain when Severus shoved his injured arm against the carpet and yet he had brushed it off as if it were nothing.

Severus wanted to send Poppy away and have a private conversation with Harry, but judging by her glower, she would not be easily removed. Did Poppy know that Harry was a coney? If Dumbledore had not told her and she had found evidence of previous sexual activity on her examination, it would explain her raw furor. 

Harry's nervousness would not do; he needed to be calm. Severus sat down on the edge of the bed and motioned for Harry to approach him. "Come here."

Harry glanced at Poppy and then scooted over, his body stiff and distant. To Poppy, it must've seemed as if he were scared of Severus, but Severus knew he worried about Poppy seeing their relationship and discovering Harry's true nature.

Severus wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulder and said, "Harry is not my nephew but my coney."

Her eyes widened, and she blinked several times.

Severus pulled out his wand and set up several wards before restoring Harry's ears and tail. "When I bought him in Knockturn this summer, he was malnourished and had been severely abused."

Dumbledore's magic brushed against Severus's wards, and Severus granted the Headmaster entrance.

"Severus! Harry!" Dumbledore transfigured a chair for himself and dropped down into it. A wave of his wand produced a stand with tea for four. "So good of you to call this meeting, Poppy. I should've called it myself a while ago, but better late than never, hmm?" Dumbledore served up tea and let it float to each of them. Poppy's tea bounced against her elbow as she stared at Harry.

"Merlin, Severus, a coney! If the Board knew-"

"They know."

"And they don't object?" Her eyebrows climbed towards her hair. "He is so-"

Harry bristled, and Severus averted the coming explosion. "Atypical for a coney, yes, I know. He is without the commonly high libido. If you would be so kind as not to remark on his elevation deficit. It is due to the Lilliputian characteristic common in litter-producing animals rather than because of an overabundance of juvenility."

"Quite right," said Dumbledore before sipping his tea.

Had he always known Harry to be of age? Severus wouldn't put it past him. The Headmaster had never seemed the type to be knowledgeable about coneys, but then, he always knew a bit about everything. 

Poppy finally snatched her tea cup from the air. "That doesn't explain why his broken arm went unfixed for several days. Nor why he has a recently healed injury to his tail bone."

Everyone looked at Harry.

Harry stared at his teacup. "I keep falling and I thought the medicine the Professor gave me would make my arm better, but it didn't." 

"Harry," said Severus, his grip on his teacup so tight his fingers hurt. "If someone's hurt you-"

"No!" Harry shook his head. "Nobody's hurt me! I'm telling you, I keep falling. It's my own fault."

Severus stood, sending away his teacup. "I'll bring in Veritaserum if I have to. I'll-"

Harry jumped to his feet. "I'm not lying! Why won't you believe me?" He glanced around the room at them, glaring at each of them in turn. "The Professor didn't hurt me," he told Poppy and Dumbledore before turning to Severus. "If someone was hurting me, don't you think I'd tell you? Don't you think I'd punch them?"

To all of them he said, "I've fought coneys and wizards who were bigger than me. No one here is mean to me, but if they were, you'd see them in here before you'd see me." He closed the distance to Severus, wrapping his arms around him. "I'm not leaving the Professor."

"Hush." Severus petted Harry's flattened ears. "No one is taking you away from me."

"Harry," said Dumbledore kindly. "Perhaps it would help us if you told us what you do before you fall."

A stricken look of guilt crossed Harry's face. "Please don't be angry," he said to Severus, scrunching up his face and biting his lip. 

"Tell me," responded Severus, unable to keep the growl from his voice.

Harry looked up at Severus's face with worry before answering. "I got Draco to-"

"Draco?" He didn't care if the boy was his godson, he would hex him until his brain leaked out his ears.

Harry grabbed Severus's arms. "I told him to! He only did it, because I asked! He flew on his broom and took me with him and-"

Severus's fury did not diminish. Pushing Harry away, holding him at arms length, he snarled, "There are sticking charms and-" 

"I told him not to cast those so I could practise standing. I-"

"YOU STOOD ON A FLYING BROOM?! ARE YOU MAD?!"

"I ONLY FELL ONCE!"

"ONCE? HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU DONE THIS?"

"Uhhhh..." Harry had to think. "Twelve... fifteen? I only broke my arm, because I tried to jump from the broom and grab onto a goal post and-"

"WHAT?!"

"I landed on my arm. Professor, please...." Harry wrested himself free from Severus's grasp of his hands and flung himself forward, wrapping his arms around Severus's neck, his ears limp on his shoulders. He gazed up with large, pleading eyes. "Please don't be angry with Draco."

Albus stood. "Harry, I believe it would be best for you to no longer accept broom rides with anyone but Professor Snape. Furthermore, should you become injured in any sort of activity, alert either Madam Pomfrey or Severus to your injuries immediately."

"I promise."

"Will you accompany me back to Severus's lab to collect potions to heal your injuries?"

Harry nodded, his ears flying. Severus had expected Harry to protest and cling to him, but either Harry was stupid enough to believe that Poppy wouldn't have the proper remedies or intelligent enough to know the real reason Dumbledore wanted Harry to step out with him. There was no way to know which one it was.

Dumbledore transfigured Harry's ears into glasses and hid his tail with a flick of his wand, holding out his other arm for Harry to grasp. Harry hugged Severus and left for the Headmaster's side, his eyes on Severus the entire way out.

Once they were gone, Poppy smoothed out her skirts. "I'm terribly sorry-"

Severus waved his hand. "It was right for you to be suspicious. I cannot believe he covered up a broken arm all this time." Not wanting to focus on his faults, he changed the subject to, "You could not tell he was a coney on inspection? I've heard they are similar to us, but I did not expect them to be that similar."

"I've not dealt with coneys before." Her eyebrows lifted and she pursed her lips. "As you can imagine, they are uncommon in the academic setting." In a more sombre tone she added, "I don't doubt you, Severus, but he is half the size of any coney I've seen before. And don't they have blond fur?"

"He's a runt. They are normally culled from the litters. I confirmed his date of birth with his registry, and he states himself that he is of legal age. He has black fur due to the fact that he's a mutt."

"Oh," she said, and her face lightened. 

Severus nodded and continued, "I was told they tend to have heart conditions and would appreciate it if you could examine him. I would have brought him to you sooner, but I was uncertain if I should take him to a coney specialist instead. The Headmaster and the Board have advised discretion."

Poppy nodded. "Of course. My... a coney." She patted her chest and gazed to where Harry and Dumbledore had disappeared. "He's not at all like any of the others I've seen."

"No," agreed Severus, doubting she had much experience with them besides passing the ones in Diagon Alley. "I have circuitously requested coney health literature, but I haven't had a chance to slip away and pick it up. I will obtain it during my next visit to Hogsmeade."

"Thank you," said Poppy. "If he responds to potions meant for wizards, he is magically and genetically close enough to us for me to handle everything but specialty care. He's never shown any allergies? Never had an inappropriate reaction or did not respond to treatment?" 

Severus had been feeding Harry potions meant for wizards without a second thought since he had purchased him. He should've been more careful, yet Harry had never shown any abnormal reactions except for what had happened before the first time they had had sex. It was possible the allergy claim had really been a trick. After the Slytherin girl and the twins, Severus didn't want to underestimate Harry, but the coney also showed himself to be quite stupid and lacking common sense on other occasions. He couldn't dismiss it.

"He once claimed he'd eaten something which caused an allergic reaction. I speculated he had no allergy and instead... desired attention, so I gave him a placebo. He claimed himself cured when I asked if the placebo had worked. Since the placebo... proved to be effective, I did not investigate the matter further."

Dumbledore's signature pressed against the wards and Severus allowed him in, restoring Harry's ears and tail as well. Harry slipped around the Headmaster to stand beside Severus. 

"I must be off," said Dumbledore kindly. "I'd love to have you visit for tea this evening, Poppy."

"Of course."

"I will talk to you later, Harry. Goodbye." With a wave, he left.

Harry held out a bottle of Skelegrow to Severus.

"Undress," ordered Severus. Harry's ears perked up, and Severus added, "Keep your smalls on. Sit on the bed and Madam Pomfrey will examine you."

Harry's ears flattened, but he undressed, throwing his clothes over the end of the bed before he sat and watched Poppy with distrustful eyes.

In a bustle of skirts, Poppy took two short strides to the bed and clasped Harry's injured arm.

"I'm afraid the Headmaster's assessment was correct," she said after having examined it thoroughly. "As it was improperly healed, I'll have to remove the bone and regrow it."

Severus nodded and watched as her fingers flew over Harry's body. When she was finished, she turned to Severus. "There are a few other broken bones which will need to be taken care of as well."

He would kill Draco.

Seeing his expression darken, Poppy quickly added, "Oh, no, they didn't happen recently. Most of his injuries are old ones which weren't healed properly at the time. He'll have to spend the night here, unless you want to help him back to your rooms, as I'll be taking out a shin bone."

Harry wrinkled his nose in disapproval, and Severus agreed with him. "I'll help him return to the dungeons. Will he need any other treatment besides fixing the damaged bones?"

"No, just a salve for his tailbone to heal the bruise. He is in perfect health otherwise. No problems with his heart or any other organ as far as I can ascertain." She turned back to Harry. "Do you have any allergies?"

Pink seared Harry's cheeks. "Uh.... I thought I was allergic once, but I wasn't. I don't think I have any."

Just as Severus had suspected. A soft charm alerted him to the changing of the hour. "I will return after my class."

Harry nodded, and Severus resisted the urge to pet his ears before leaving.

~

By the time Severus finally returned Harry to their rooms, it was evening.

"I'm sorry, Professor!" he said as soon as the door closed behind them. "I tried to stop her from examining me, but she tricked me!"

"Did she?" Severus guided Harry to the couch, using magic to support his weight.

Harry dropped down onto the cushions, the words pouring out of him as if a cork had been tugged out of a bathtub's drain. "I got a bunch of dust up my nose, so I was sneezing a bunch, and she wanted to look at me. I told her she couldn't and tried to leave, but she insisted. I said that you were taking care of me, and then she said that she would get you and you two would look at me together. I thought it was okay, because you could tell her not to look at me and she would listen to you. She sent a student and told me to sit down and wait for you. She was asking me basic questions, how my day was and stuff, and I didn't know it, but she was examining me! I felt her magic go inside and I made her stop, but she already knew! I didn't want to tell her. I tried not to tell her-"

"Sh, it's alright." Severus pulled Harry into his arms. "We need to find you some new friends."

"I like my friends!" protested Harry. "I convinced Draco to give me broom rides. I promise I won't do it again."

Draco was not a boy easily convinced or led, but he was also quite sensible and would never think that jumping from a moving broom to a goal post to be an amusing sport. That was too Gryffindor. If Harry was to be a Gryffindor, then there was only one thing Severus could do.

~

The next day, Severus led Harry to the library.

"Miss Granger," said Severus.

"Yes, sir?" She looked up from her homework, her quill paused over an overly complex answer to a very simple question. 

"My nephew desires to learn more about magic and Hogwarts than I have time to explain, and his literary skills are lacking."

Harry, who had wandered beyond her to stare out the window towards the Quidditch pitch, spun around, his eyes widening. He shook his head frantically, waving his hands to get Severus to stop talking. 

Severus continued, "Perhaps you could pick out the books you found most useful as a Muggleborn."

"I'd love to," said Hermione breathlessly, her cheeks turning pink. "I'll teach him everything he needs to know, Professor!" She glanced back at Harry, who immediately stopped shaking his head. He scratched the back of his neck and smiled at her.

"I can't wait," he told her. As soon as she turned back to Severus, Harry scrunched up his face and shot him a dirty glare. Severus had no doubt the coney's ears would be flat against his head should they be restored at that moment. 

To prevent Harry from escaping, Severus waited until Harry took a seat beside Granger before he patted Harry on the head and said, "Be good," then turned and swept out of the library.

Harry arrived at Severus's rooms that evening with his arms full of books. "I don't really have to read all of these, do I?"

"Yes. The more you know about Hogwarts and magic, the better you will be at assisting me." 

As expected, Harry sat by Granger at breakfast the next morning and attended her lessons in the library of his own accord. Severus couldn't have been more pleased to see Harry in the library for hours on end. Even better, now that Granger had Harry to lecture incessantly, she no longer felt the need to be such a know-it-all in his classroom. 

~

A few weeks before Christmas, Harry returned to Severus’s rooms late.

“Draco and Fred and George both invited me to spend Christmas with their families,” he noted as he pulled off his robe.

Severus glanced up from the scroll he was reading but gave no other indication that he cared a whit about the news. “Oh?” He'd never let Harry go. Not to the Malfoys, who would spend the time trying to molest him, and certainly not with the twins who would teach him all sorts of mischief.

“I told them I was spending it with you.” Harry crossed the room and gave Severus a kiss on the cheek before disappearing into the bedroom.

For Christmas, Harry knit Severus the ugliest jumper he’d ever seen. It was chartreuse and reminded Severus of the ones the Weasleys wore. As soon as he was sure Harry wouldn’t catch him in the act, he spilled acid on it. When Harry saw the palm-sized piece that was all that remained of it, his ears dropped.

“I’ll knit you another,” Harry offered, staring at the piece of cloth morosely.

“As much as I would appreciate another jumper from you,” Severus lied, “my work requires me to wear special clothing that’s designed to withstand dangerous chemicals. I’d hate for something like this to accidentally happen again to another article of clothing.”

Harry believed the explanation, and Severus tucked the remains of the jumper into the back of his top desk drawer.

For Harry’s Christmas present, Severus drank a self-brewed male potency enhancer and proceeded to screw him silly. Starting Christmas Eve, they didn't stop until mid-Boxing day, and the experiment ended only because Harry passed out. Severus followed shortly thereafter and when they woke, sprawled out on the floor in Severus's den, Severus couldn't move. Harry had to feed him several restorative and healing potions, and Severus still couldn't make it to the Great Hall without using magic to aid himself. Still, he was proud of himself for having outlasted a coney – a supposedly impossible task. 

When they finally arrived at the Great Hall, Albus gave them a knowing smile and a wink.

“Did you enjoy your trip?” the meddlesome Headmaster asked Harry. He seemed to have the need to explain why both of them hadn’t been seen for a few days.

“It was very nice,” answered Harry, turning bright red. Severus, worried that his face revealed their secret, spelled the coney’s pumpkin juice to fall into his lap. Harry left to change his clothes and by the time he returned, the conversation had shifted.

Severus decided the Headmaster was too concerned with his and Harry's private activities and therefore desperately needed to find a partner. Taking it upon himself, he mail-ordered all the gay wizarding magazines he could find and had them anonymously sent to Dumbledore.

As he was leaving the Owlery, Malfoy's family owl arrived with a letter. Breaking the seal of the Malfoy family crest, Severus read through the sprawling, elegant script.

_My dear friend Severus,_

_I would be most pleased if you would attend a gathering of friends to be held at my manor the eve before this respite ends. Formal attire required. Pets are most welcome._

_Cordially yours,  
Lucius_

_P.S. We would be delighted if your nephew could join us for the festivities._

To make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, Severus read it three times. Since when were pets allowed at the Knights of Walpurgis meetings? And why on earth had Lucius decided to host it during his son's break when the boy would be at home? Surely it was too soon for the boy to take the Rites. How much had Lucius told the other Knights about Harry? He better not have told Bellatrix anything but that Harry was human and his nephew. 

He sent the reply back with Strix. 

_Dear Lucius,_

_I would be most delighted to attend your gathering, although I must admit I did not expect to see pets and formal attire in the same invitation. I'm sure the mix of guests and animals will be most amusing, but I am afraid that only my nephew will accompany me.  
Severus _

A meeting called so hurriedly did not bode well. The Knights of Walpurgis had subsisted as long as they had by remaining in the shadows and only calling meetings outside of their yearly gatherings when necessary. What could Lucius be planning?

 

 

_[Chapter 5, The Knights of Walpurgis, the last chapter of part 2 will be posted on Easter!]_


	5. Chapter 5: The Knights of Walpurgis

  
Author's notes: This is the Second Part of A Bunny Tale which was written as an Easter Special for a friend last year. It was meant to be a short, fluffy thing but it has evolved into something more. You can find the first part in my profile.  
Summary: Harry adjusts to Hogwarts; Severus adjusts to Harry.  


* * *

The Knights of Walpurgis

 

Although Severus had purchased dress robes for Harry, he had yet to see him in them. He was slipping potions into hidden pockets in his robes when Harry entered the room and said, "I think my tie is broken."

First, he noticed the colour was wrong. He had ordered bottle green with silver trim, not a vivid crimson. While crimson was not the shade he would've chosen for Harry, the dark red gave the small, youthful coney a sharp masculinity to his features. Perhaps it was the dress robes more than the colours, but Harry filled his robes and stood tall. No one would ever guess he was a pet instead of an honoured guest. Unaware of Severus's appreciative gaze, Harry fiddled with his neck cloth.

"It's not a tie; it’s a neck cloth,” Severus explained. He pulled Harry over towards the mirror and planted him in front of it. "This particular kind is tied in a bow.” Moving slowly, Severus demonstrated how to wrap and tie the cloth around Harry's neck. Harry stared at Severus's fingers as they manipulated the folds of the cloth and smoothed the neck cloth into place.

When he was finished, Severus said, "Remember, affirm you are my nephew, deny any rumours to the contrary, and invite anyone who insists on pestering you to speak to me on the matter. I expect you to remain in my sight and near me at all times." None of the Knights would be so foolish as to try to drag Harry away to molest him, but the Malfoy Mansion was not a place in which to wander off.

Summoning a salve to tame Harry's wild hair, Severus ran his fingers through the disobedient strands as he continued his lecture, "I expect you to behave around the other coneys."

The bright green eyes widened, but Harry said nothing.

"Yes, there will be other coneys there. And Harry-" Severus cast a cleaning spell on his fingers, turned him around, and stared into his eyes.

Harry said, "I won't even look at them. I swear."

"You had better not." Severus tightened his grip on Harry's upper arms. "There will be people there who would have you taken from me in an instant if they knew. If you want to remain with me, then you must not reveal that you are a coney." Especially not to Bellatrix. Maybe Dumbledore could take Harry for the evening and swear to keep him out of trouble? No, if relatives were invited to Lucius's party, then it would look suspicious if he did not bring Harry along. Besides, it was too close to the full moon.

"What if they use _Legilimens_ on me?" Harry asked with a frown, his vivid eyes full of worry. It was his least favourite spell, even more hated than The Killing Curse or the Cruciatus. When Severus had gone through the list of 'spells which Harry must immediately report upon hearing,' Harry had listened without interruption, his eyes determined and his mouth set in a straight line. Throughout it all, no matter what Severus said, he hadn't shown any concern. He had even nodded through the Unforgivables as if he were an expert on their use. Only Legilimency had drawn his fear and questions. For the next day, he had refused to meet the eyes of anyone other than Severus, even the other students, until Severus assured him that no student could master Legilimency, and he needn't worry about any staff at Hogwarts.

Releasing Harry and scooping up more of the salve, which seemed to make the mess on Harry's head only marginally better, Severus said, "Relax. Never maintain eye contact for more than a few seconds and fake shyness if you must, but do not worry about it." He didn't want to tell Harry the real reason he wasn't concerned. He had already set up a red herring: that Harry was his illegitimate son. It had been easy to set up, but it was not a rumour he wished to propagate more than absolutely necessary.

~

Narcissa welcomed them into her home with her usual aplomb. She looked an empress, draped in sea blue silks decorated with waving vines of gold dotted diamond flowers that teasingly curled and uncurled their petals. Her upswept hair had been piled precariously tall on top of her head and glittered with jewellery that matched her robes. Despite her namesake, she was not the type to usually wear garments that even Severus, who knew nothing about fashion, could tell were worth a fortune. Whether Lucius was trying to butter her up or improve his standing amongst the Knights remained to be seen. 

Narcissa stretched out a thin, pale arm and offered a bejewelled hand to be kissed as she addressed Severus, "So good to see you, Severus, it has been far too long. Welcome to our home."

"It is my pleasure." Severus motioned to Harry. "My nephew, Harry."

"Of course." Her eyes flickered over Harry as one might gaze upon a hall stand. 

If Lucius had informed Narcissa about Harry's true nature, then surely he had also told her of the need for discretion and for Harry to be treated as human. He covered up her faux pas by excusing himself and steering Harry towards Lucius who was ensnared in Bellatrix's company. 

Severus gave a short nod as he reached them. "Lucius, Bellatrix." 

They had only begun the standard greetings when Bellatrix interrupted, "Is this your nephew?"

"Yes, this is Harry."

Harry stepped forward, a smile plastered on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Charmed." Bellatrix's smile was as fake as her breasts. "You don't look at all like your uncle; I suppose you take after your mother."

"Yes," agreed Harry, his smile becoming as artificial as hers.

"You grew up in England?" she asked, her eyes sharp, ready for a moment of weakness.

"There and other places." Harry's fake smile never left his face.

"One would think you an Auror, Bella." Lazily, Lucius draped an arm over Harry's shoulders. "If you wish to examine him, do so later. Right now, I want to hear about your new acquisition."

"Ah, yes." Her lips curled up in a triumphant smile. "He should return any moment."

"He?" Lucius's eyebrows arched. "You didn't-?"

A side door opened and a handsome, tall coney strode into the room. All eyes fixed on his broad shoulders, thick torso, chiselled stomach, and thick arms and legs. Silvery blond hair poured down his back, ending just above his well-sculpted buttocks. A kouros come to life, perfection defined his form from the pert, pink ears framed in lush white fur to his wide, white smile with rows of even teeth. He drank in the attention, soaking it up as he marched across the room, seemingly oblivious to his near nudity. The only covering he wore was a loincloth which did nothing but accentuate the large bulge at his groin. Even his feet were bare, like a house-elf's, and he held out Bellatrix's drink with a flourish. Bellatrix took it and turned away from the coney who folded his hands in front of his groin and fixed his eyes on his mistress as if he expected her to fire an order at any moment. 

"A gift from Rudolphus," she informed them. She had been stringing the deluded fool along for years. It was unlikely she would ever give in to his requests for marriage, but he seemed to believe that he could eventually buy her love.

"Severus, you must have a coney of your own," she purred. "They can give you a pleasure unparalleled."

She bragged only because she believed he would never be able to possess one of his own. While it was true he could never afford a coney of idealised perfection like Bellatrix's, he had Harry. The simpering, submissive way Bellatrix's coney gazed at her did not impress Severus. He could imagine sex with her flawless coney; with his beautiful body and natural servitude, he would be and do everything Severus wanted. That was the problem.   
The smile on his face was genuine as he answered, "Your coney is quite aesthetically pleasing, but I prefer my partners to have a bit more autonomy. Complete control is so easy to obtain."

"Of course," she shot back. "But challenge does not equate with value." 

"I agree. There are many I could never obtain and I am glad of that fact." He looked at her pointedly. "Besides, I've heard that they will sleep with any wizard or witch available to them. Does that not concern you?"

Her eyes lit up. Holding out a spidery arm, she jangled a charm bracelet. "This key-" she stroked it with her fingertip, "-prevents him from obtaining any pleasure without me. He is unable to express his satisfaction or reach its culmination unless I allow him."

Of course she would insist on complete sexual control. Rudolphus was insane to desire her. 

"Fascinating." Severus made his escape, leaving Harry with the gathering crowd of Hogwarts students until dinner. When dinner was called, Harry slipped from Draco's side to Severus's with a questioning look on his face. Taking him by the arm, Severus led him to his seat at the table.  
.  
Dinner was typical of meals at Malfoy's parties, which meant it was an overblown affair with waves and waves of rich, scrumptious food artfully decorated and sculpted to perfection. Harry, normally one to dive right into a good meal, stared at what he was offered with confusion and did not try to eat until after Severus had confirmed that it was edible. It wasn't until the meal started that Severus realised he had been remiss in not teaching Harry proper dinner manners and worried the kit would embarrass him. But Harry waited to observe which utensil Severus selected for each dish before picking up his own and copying the Potion Master's actions as best he could. 

Harry was the only coney allowed to sit at the table. The rest knelt behind their masters, eating the table scraps which were passed back to them. Although foremost focused on his food and Severus, Harry's eyes would drift towards the other coneys in the room when they weren't otherwise occupied with his two biggest obsessions. Severus supposed that an interest in coneys would not be out of character for a poor Squib who had been raised apart from the wizarding world and did not try to correct him when he stared at Bellatrix's coney licking juice from her fingers. Half the table was openly staring anyway, the rest of them pretending not to. 

It was undeniably sexual, but then, nearly everything the other coneys did was sexual. The coney had an expression of pure rapture on his face, his blue eyes bright and his cheeks flushed. He licked the fingers with promise, letting everyone at the table know he would do exactly the same for them if he were allowed. With his easy self-confidence and open sexuality, there was no doubt that he would love to be intimate with each of them in turn and would probably be quite adept at pleasing all of them.

Severus glanced at Harry, subdued in his chair despite his bright robes, ignoring the other wizards and witches except as was required by politeness, glancing at the other coneys with an expression that spoke of many things except desire. Bellatrix might own her coney, but he didn't belong to her, not in the way that Harry belonged to Severus.

Resisting the urge to run his fingers through Harry's wild hair, Severus focused on his meal. 

After dinner, Lucius called a Knights’ meeting. Harry reluctantly left with the coneys, children, and non-member spouses. 

As soon as the opening ceremonies were finished, Lucius announced, "I propose that next year Hogwarts will host the Triwizard Tournament. Our brethren at Durmstrang and Beauxbatons have agreed to participate and will send their best students to compete."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd, but Lucius ignored them. "Our children need pride in their heritage and race. The tasks will be designed so that only those wizards and witches of the highest quality -- the most pure -- will stand a chance of winning. Our Quidditch teams are contaminated with Mudbloods and, if the Ministry will not support our restrictions, then we will have to find our own ways to instil in the youth of the general public our ideas about purity and honour."

Bellatrix asked the question no one else was willing to bring up: "How will we be ensured that only Purebloods are selected? We know that our students are top quality, but we cannot say the same for the other schools."

"The entire system may be rigged or we shall aid the Pureblood student or students who are selected by the Goblet." He didn't need to argue that at least one Pureblood would be selected; most of those in the room would be surprised if even a single non-Pureblood was chosen. "If we do decide to select the champions ahead of time, we must be sure to pick only the ones we want to represent the wizarding world. I've compiled a list of possible candidates..."

The debate stretched on for hours, and they hadn't decided on a Hogwarts champion by the time they moved on to the next subject: the Gringotts bank rate and whether they should change it. 

~

As soon as the meeting had been concluded, Severus found Harry with the students who were playing Quidditch on the Malfoy’s miniature pitch. Harry sat in the box, keeping score, his chin in his palm. When he saw Severus, he dashed over.

"Are we going home now?"

Severus had not planned on leaving until later, but Harry looked so hopeful, he couldn't tell him no. 

They escaped back to Hogwarts together, with Harry starting to strip off his clothing as soon as they walked through the door. "There were loads of coneys there. Do most people own a coney now?"

"No." Severus threw his cloak to the side and undid his cravat. "Most of Lucius's guests are upper class and wealthy." He stared at Harry's long back and round buttocks as the coney bent over to remove his trousers. "Bellatrix has a handsome coney, doesn't she?"

One leg caught in the end of his trousers and Harry stumbled, catching the edge of the sofa for support.

"I saw you watching him." Thoughts of having the both of them, together, filled Severus's head. 

Harry's back stiffened. 

Severus continued, "You were staring at him from across the table." He swept over and wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders. "I wish I could have shown you to them," he murmured in Harry's ear. "If you had been on your knees, licking my fingers, no one would have given him a second glance." He raked his fingers through Harry's hair and popped open the buttons on his shirt.

"Would you like that? To have them all staring at you." He slipped his hands inside Harry's shirt and pinched his nipples. "Wanting you." 

"I don't want them," said Harry fiercely, his body stiff. 

"But they'd want you." Severus kissed and licked the soft skin below Harry's ear as his fingers swiftly undid the rest of the buttons.

"I'd bite them." Harry reached back and clawed Severus's hair. "I'd cover my body with poison."

"Which one?" Harry's cock throbbed in Severus's right hand while his left hurried to free his own, pressed painfully tight in his trousers. 

"Foxglove," gasped Harry, his fingers tightening in Severus's hair, his hips thrusting. "I'd make a salve to increase its potency and keep it on my body. You and I, ah," he moaned as Severus nipped his ear, "we'd be immune."

"You'd kill a wizard just for touching you?" Restoring Harry's flattened ears and tail, Severus trailed his fingers through the soft black puff of fur. "You're a very naughty coney." He pushed Harry over the edge of the sofa. "I wouldn't be able to let you out of my sight." 

"No!" Wiggling his arse, Harry reached backwards to snag Severus's hand and push it down his crack towards his hole. "I wouldn't- Not just for touching me. I'd put it under my clothes."

"Here?" Severus rubbed the puckered flesh teasingly.

"Oh!" Trembling, Harry spread his legs further apart. "Yes. Under my smalls. Where no one is allowed to touch me."

"No one?" Shifting away, Severus pulled off his clothing.

"You're allowed!" Harry whirled around, his ears flattening further. 

"Where am I allowed to touch you?" Severus shrugged off his shirt.

"Everywhere!" Harry licked his lips and his ears pricked up.

"Where do you _want_ me to touch you?" Feigning nonchalance belied by his thick erection, Severus let his eyes sweep over Harry's body.

"Everywhere!" Pink came into view as Harry's ears shot up further.

"Tell me where."

Hopping up on the edge of the sofa, Harry stuck out his ass and spread his legs wide. "In here," he moaned, one hand flying to stroke down his crack.

His wanton innocence was too much to resist, and Severus wasted no time enfolding him in his arms and touching him everywhere he desired.

Later, as they lay in bed panting, Severus made sure to impress upon Harry the danger of what he had just suggested.

"Do you know what would happen to you if you poisoned a wizard?" 

"They'd kill me," said Harry, his head pressed against Severus's chest.

Stroking Harry's soft ears, Severus said, "Exactly. Which is why you must never do it. If anyone harms you -- in any way at all -- tell me about it, and I will take care of it."

Shifting, Harry propped his head up, resting his chin on Severus's sternum as he stared at him with vibrant eyes. "What will you do?"

"Whatever is necessary."

~

On the day the students returned from their holiday, Dumbledore turned to Severus and said, “Thank you for the magazines, Severus,” with a twinkle in his eyes. “I quite enjoyed them. Fascinating articles.”

"My pleasure," said Severus with a dismissive flick of his hand, watching Harry run between the tables, greeting his friends. He finally ended up sitting with Draco and the two of them pressed their heads together, exchanging whispers throughout dinner.

After dinner, Poppy stopped Severus on his way back to his rooms. "Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?"

"Certainly." Severus followed her to her office.

She closed the door and set up wards. "I sent Harry's blood and hair samples to different companies." She reached into her desk and removed a thick stack of scrolls. "Judging by the results of all the tests -- sent to both wizard and coney companies -- he is a normal, healthy coney. The only peculiarity was his scar. I sent a closely cropped picture of it to a friend of mine who is a curse expert. I figured you might want it removed in order to disguise any marks which could identify Harry." 

Seeing Severus's look of dismay, she added, "You have nothing to worry about; my friend owes me a favour and is very discreet. He said the scar was caused by a Killing Curse."

Severus scoffed. "That's impossible. A Killing Curse close enough to cause a scar would've killed him. Unless coneys are immune?"

She shook her head. "As far as I know, they aren't. He says it was probably caused by a curse that either glanced off another object or killed another person first. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill Harry. He's completely harmless. I asked him where he got the scar, and he said that he fell."

Did Harry claim to have obtained all his injuries by falling? No wonder Poppy had become so suspicious. Severus would have to teach him how to properly lie to authority figures. "Thank you." Severus accepted the scrolls from her. "I'll ask him about it."

~

Harry lay naked in bed, reading a potions textbook. He jumped out of bed when he saw Severus, tossing the book aside, and ran towards him. Snape pulled him into his arms and kissed him. Breaking the kiss, he asked, "How did you get the scar on your forehead?" 

Harry's face darkened. "The Ministry tried to kill me."

Severus had expected to hear many answers but not that. For a moment he could do nothing but blink at Harry. It couldn't be true. While the Ministry did put down creatures, they did so with potions rather than spells. Not to mention, if the Ministry wanted Harry dead, he would be dead. Tired of being told lies, Severus said in a cold voice, "The Ministry does not use spells to-"

Harry tore himself from Severus's arms. "THEY USE SPELLS!" he yelled, his ears flat. "I'M NOT LYING!"

Severus had never seen Harry so angry; his chest was heaving, and his eyes were flashing. Even his budding erection had died. In a soothing voice, Severus said, "Come here.”

Harry crossed his arms and didn't move, glaring at Severus through narrowed eyes. 

It was the first time Harry had disobeyed him openly. He wasn’t lying. Keeping his voice calm, Severus asked, “Why would the Ministry want to kill you?"

"I don't know."

"Did you bite someone?" Severus asked warily.

A tremor ran through Harry's body, and his face twisted in anger. "Yes, but only after they tried to kill me!" 

It didn't make any sense. If the Ministry had tried to kill Harry, why was he still alive? Why hadn't it shown up on Harry's records? The Ministry had no reason to put down harmless coneys. The only thing Severus could think of was that perhaps they were culling the litter, but why wait so long to kill runts? Could they not tell at birth?

Severus walked over to sit down on the bed. "I believe you," he said to Harry who was shaking with rage. "Come, sit by me." He patted the bed. 

Harry stalked over and dropped himself down on the bed. 

"Why didn't they kill you? How did you end up with me?"

Sucking in several deep breaths to calm himself, Harry said, "They wanted to kill me. They were going to, but this witch made them stop. She...." Harry closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "She said I just needed to be properly trained. She took me to her house and...." in a smaller voice, he said, "trained me to be a coney."

"She had sex with you?" asked Severus, appalled. 

"No!" Harry shuddered and shook his head violently. "No! She made me clean, cook, do the laundry." 

It sounded quite reasonable, but Harry spit out the words as if they had been forms of torture. Severus reached out to pet his ears. "Is that why you hid from them when we were in Diagon Alley?"

Harry nodded. 

Severus kissed him on the forehead. "You have nothing to fear from them. I won't let them take you from me." Harry gave a tentative smile and wrapped his arms around Severus.

Harry drifted off to sleep after a few hours of sex, but Severus couldn't sleep. He lay awake in the bed, one arm wrapped around Harry, who lay draped across his chest. 

Why on earth would the Ministry want to kill Harry? What had made them change their mind? Sure, Harry could be quick with his teeth and his fists, but he seemed convinced that their murder attempt came unprovoked. And why use an Unforgivable?   
Harry sighed softly in his sleep and nuzzled Severus's chest. Severus stroked Harry's flaccid ears. 

It didn't matter what their reasons were for wanting to kill him; Harry belonged to him now. If they tried to take him away, Severus would raise so much red tape and appeals, they'd stand no chance of removing him within their lifetimes. If it came down to it, he could permanently disguise Harry as a human. 

Severus picked up a floppy ear and turned it slightly in his hands. He could remove the tail and fix the ears, building human ones out of the coney parts. The blood would be a give away, but maybe there was a potion or a spell....

There were always ways to circumvent the Ministry's rules, but he preferred a bigger challenge. Turning Harry human enough to pass even blood tests without revealing his true nature seemed an impossible task. It was a challenge that had to be met. Hopefully, he'd never need to go through with it. He'd miss Harry's fluffy black tail and ears too much. 

Severus wrapped his arms tightly around Harry and drifted off to sleep. He would make sure that no one could ever take Harry away from him.

 

[[ _And that's the end of A Bunny Tale, Part 2! I'll post three (the final part) later. Have a very Happy Easter!_ ]]


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